SoftBank’s Q2 Profit Soars to $16.6B on OpenAI Valuation Gains

SoftBank Group delivered a staggering 2.5 trillion yen ($16.6 billion) in second-quarter net profit, more than doubling last year's figures and obliterating analyst expectations of 207 billion yen. The windfall stems primarily from paper gains on its OpenAI stake, which contributed 2.16 trillion yen to the Vision Fund's 3.5 trillion yen investment gain.

The Japanese conglomerate executed a strategic pivot in its AI portfolio, liquidating its entire Nvidia position—32.1 million shares worth $5.83 billion—to double down on artificial intelligence investments. SoftBank's projected $34.7 billion commitment to OpenAI through 2025 reflects the startup's meteoric valuation climb from $300 billion to $500 billion in just seven months.

Financing this aggressive AI push, SoftBank secured $3.9 billion through multi-currency bond offerings and arranged $15 billion in bridge loans. The moves signal growing institutional conviction in AI's transformative potential, though cryptocurrency markets remained peripheral to these developments.