SoftBank Group is nearing a ¥100 billion ($625 million) acquisition of Japanese payment provider SP.LINKS. The company emerged as the preferred bidder to buy the firm from Blackstone and Sony Financial Group’s banking unit. SP.LINKS will become a wholly-owned subsidiary. This deal strengthens SoftBank's position in Japan’s expanding cashless payments sector.
Separately, SoftBank expanded its $40 billion bridge loan syndicate to finance OpenAI investments. The group added 21 new lenders, including First Abu Dhabi Bank and Singapore’s GIC. These new participants will contribute approximately $7 billion to the facility. The expansion diversifies funding for SoftBank's artificial intelligence growth strategy.