Shares of Softbank Group Corp (TYO: 9984) tumbled sharply on Wednesday, hit by a double blow of stalled negotiations for a $6 billion margin loan and a broad sell-off in global technology stocks. The Japanese tech investment giant saw its shares close down more than 8% on the Tokyo exchange, extending its recent weak performance.
Softbank Group Corp closed at 6,461.00 yen on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, down 587.00 yen or 8.33% from the previous session.
According to informed sources, the group had been seeking to raise at least $6 billion in margin loans from multiple financial institutions by pledging its stake in OpenAI as collateral. However, the related talks have recently stalled. Just weeks ago, Softbank had already reduced its initial $10 billion fundraising target to $6 billion, as some potential lenders expressed concerns about the difficulty of valuing OpenAI as a private company. Prior to the talks stalling, Softbank was said to have secured verbal or written commitments for around $5 billion.
This financing setback comes at a time when market skepticism is growing over Softbank's highly leveraged bet on AI strategy. The conglomerate led by Masayoshi Son has committed over $60 billion to OpenAI, which now accounts for about 30% of Softbank's investment portfolio. Analysts warn that this highly concentrated holding structure amplifies the company's risk exposure—if OpenAI's performance falls short of expectations, Softbank would face significant liquidity pressure. S&P Global Ratings downgraded Softbank's credit outlook to negative in March of this year.
Adding to investor concerns is a heavy short-term debt burden on Softbank's balance sheet. To support its ongoing investment in OpenAI, the company secured a $40 billion bridge loan in March this year, which must be repaid by March 2027.
Beyond company-specific headwinds, the broader market environment is also unfavorable. On Wednesday, global tech stocks faced widespread pressure, with the Nasdaq index having fallen 1.0% the previous day. In Asian markets, investor worries about overvalued AI and semiconductor-related stocks continue to simmer. Shares of Arm, the chip design company owned by Softbank, also retreated, further dragging down the performance of its parent company.
Although Softbank still has other financing options available, including issuing bonds or borrowing against other listed assets in its portfolio, such as its stakes in Arm and Intel, this financing setback has undoubtedly shaken market confidence. Just last week, Softbank briefly surpassed Toyota Motor to become Japan's most valuable company by market capitalization, a rally that had driven its shares up about 70% year-to-date. Now, with financing pressures emerging and the tech stock frenzy cooling, Softbank's highly leveraged bet on AI strategy is facing increasingly severe tests.
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