AI doubts hit SoftBank Group stock as OpenAI stake reaches USD 64.60 billion

SoftBank Group (ISIN JP3436100006) shares were trading at EUR 24.36 at Lang & Schwarz on October 23, 2026, at 9:38 a.m. CEST. The shares faced pressure as investors in Tokyo became worried about how much money companies were spending on artificial intelligence (AI). Meanwhile, SoftBank had completed another USD 10.00 billion investment in OpenAI on October 1, 2026. This brought its total investment in OpenAI to USD 64.60 billion and gave it a stake of about 13 percent, according to SoftBank Group.

AI investments face pressure from the market

Business News reported on October 23, 2026, that SoftBank Group shares fell 6.90 percent in Tokyo. Investors were worried that the large amounts of money being spent on AI might not bring enough profit. The report said that other Japanese companies involved in computer chips and AI were also seeing their share prices fall.

There is also another important issue: how SoftBank manages its borrowing. On October 9, 2026, SoftBank announced that it would repay EUR 405.10 million in senior notes on October 22, 2026. These are a type of debt that the company must repay, and they carry an interest rate of 2.875 percent, according to Japan IR.

Three important funding events

On September 24, 2026, SoftBank announced that it was raising money by issuing senior notes in foreign currencies. On October 1, 2026, it completed its final USD 10.00 billion investment payment to OpenAI. Then, on October 9, 2026, it announced plans to repay EUR 405.10 million in debt. According to SoftBank Group, some of the money used for its OpenAI investment came from issuing these senior notes.

What does SoftBank's big AI investment mean?

SoftBank's financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 help explain why investors are looking closely at both its AI investments and its regular business performance. During the quarter that ended on June 30, 2026, revenue grew 10.90 percent compared with the same quarter a year earlier, reaching JPY 2.0 trillion. However, net income belonging to shareholders fell 17.70 percent to JPY 347.30 billion, according to Bondsupermart. This means the value investors place on SoftBank depends heavily on how much its AI investments are worth and how easy or expensive it is for the company to borrow money.

The next financial report comes in November

SoftBank plans to publish its next financial results on November 10, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time (JST). The company will then hold a meeting to explain the results at 4:30 p.m. JST, according to SoftBank Group.

Share price before the next report

The next financial report will help show whether growth in SoftBank's regular business can make up for investors' worries about its large AI investments and the money it has borrowed to help pay for them. SoftBank Group shares were trading at EUR 24.36 at Lang & Schwarz on October 23, 2026, at 9:38 a.m. CEST.