TLDRs; SoftBank gains $2.4B this quarter from AI investments, lifting investor sentiment and shares. OpenAI stake worth $40B fuels Vision Fund’s strong DecemberTLDRs; SoftBank gains $2.4B this quarter from AI investments, lifting investor sentiment and shares. OpenAI stake worth $40B fuels Vision Fund’s strong December

SoftBank (SFTBY) Stock; Climbs Following OpenAI Stake Boost

2026/02/12 16:15
3 min read

TLDRs;

  • SoftBank gains $2.4B this quarter from AI investments, lifting investor sentiment and shares.
  • OpenAI stake worth $40B fuels Vision Fund’s strong December-quarter performance.
  • Arm stock rally and telecom division results bolster SoftBank’s market recovery.
  • SoftBank positions itself as a key AI player through strategic global investments.

SoftBank Group Corp. reported a $2.4 billion gain in its December quarter, primarily fueled by the rising valuation of its OpenAI investment. The Japanese conglomerate’s Vision Fund, which has invested roughly $40 billion in OpenAI, has seen its strategic bets on artificial intelligence pay off significantly.

Analysts say these gains reflect not only the performance of OpenAI but also SoftBank’s broader AI-focused portfolio, including stakes in chip designer Arm and companies specializing in robotics and autonomous vehicles.

Following these results, SoftBank’s shares climbed this week, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s long-term AI strategy. Market observers note that the Vision Fund’s aggressive approach is positioning SoftBank as a central figure in AI development on a global scale.

OpenAI Stake Surpasses Expectations

SoftBank’s investment gains tied to OpenAI have far exceeded earlier forecasts. Over the first nine months of the fiscal year, Vision Fund 2 logged $17 billion in gains from OpenAI alone. Vision Fund 2, fully funded by SoftBank itself after drawing no outside investors, managed this growth even following a record $32 billion loss for SoftBank Group in the prior fiscal year.


SFTBY Stock Card
SoftBank Group Corp., SFTBY

OpenAI’s $41 billion financing round included $30 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with co-investors contributing the remaining $11 billion. This financing supports AI infrastructure buildouts, including computing, data centers, and networking necessary to operate AI services at scale. The arrangement demonstrates SoftBank’s commitment to funding comprehensive AI ecosystems, rather than isolated projects.

Arm Rally and Telecom Strength Boost Shares

Beyond OpenAI, SoftBank’s market performance has also benefited from an uptick in Arm’s stock price and solid results from the company’s telecom division. Investors have welcomed this combination, which signals both technological and operational strength. The dual gains reinforce confidence in SoftBank’s diversified approach, blending AI innovation with core business stability.

Additionally, SoftBank recently sold a $5.83 billion stake in NVIDIA and completed a $3.1 billion acquisition of DigitalBridge. These moves are consistent with a broader strategy of capital recycling and investing in high-potential AI and technology sectors.

Strategic Positioning in Global AI Markets

SoftBank’s Vision Fund continues to back end-to-end AI solutions, spanning model development, infrastructure, and distribution. Reports indicate that part of the OpenAI funding is also allocated to Stargate, a joint AI infrastructure venture with Oracle.

These investments reflect a growing trend among global investors to build comprehensive AI stacks rather than funding isolated technology pieces.

Market experts suggest SoftBank’s strategic positioning could make it a leading force in AI for years to come. By combining financial backing, operational expertise, and partnerships with technology leaders, the company is aiming to shape both the AI industry and its own long-term growth trajectory.

Conclusion

SoftBank’s latest quarterly gains underscore the power of AI-focused investments in driving market performance. With OpenAI, Arm, and other technology bets, the company is leveraging its Vision Fund to establish itself as a central player in the rapidly expanding AI landscape. Investors are watching closely, as these moves could define SoftBank’s role in the next generation of technology-driven markets.

The post SoftBank (SFTBY) Stock; Climbs Following OpenAI Stake Boost appeared first on CoinCentral.

Market Opportunity
Boost Logo
Boost Price(BOOST)
$0.0001402
$0.0001402$0.0001402
-9.78%
USD
Boost (BOOST) Live Price Chart
Disclaimer: The articles reposted on this site are sourced from public platforms and are provided for informational purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the views of MEXC. All rights remain with the original authors. If you believe any content infringes on third-party rights, please contact [email protected] for removal. MEXC makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the content and is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided. The content does not constitute financial, legal, or other professional advice, nor should it be considered a recommendation or endorsement by MEXC.

You May Also Like

Google's AP2 protocol has been released. Does encrypted AI still have a chance?

Google's AP2 protocol has been released. Does encrypted AI still have a chance?

Following the MCP and A2A protocols, the AI Agent market has seen another blockbuster arrival: the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), developed by Google. This will clearly further enhance AI Agents' autonomous multi-tasking capabilities, but the unfortunate reality is that it has little to do with web3AI. Let's take a closer look: What problem does AP2 solve? Simply put, the MCP protocol is like a universal hook, enabling AI agents to connect to various external tools and data sources; A2A is a team collaboration communication protocol that allows multiple AI agents to cooperate with each other to complete complex tasks; AP2 completes the last piece of the puzzle - payment capability. In other words, MCP opens up connectivity, A2A promotes collaboration efficiency, and AP2 achieves value exchange. The arrival of AP2 truly injects "soul" into the autonomous collaboration and task execution of Multi-Agents. Imagine AI Agents connecting Qunar, Meituan, and Didi to complete the booking of flights, hotels, and car rentals, but then getting stuck at the point of "self-payment." What's the point of all that multitasking? So, remember this: AP2 is an extension of MCP+A2A, solving the last mile problem of AI Agent automated execution. What are the technical highlights of AP2? The core innovation of AP2 is the Mandates mechanism, which is divided into real-time authorization mode and delegated authorization mode. Real-time authorization is easy to understand. The AI Agent finds the product and shows it to you. The operation can only be performed after the user signs. Delegated authorization requires the user to set rules in advance, such as only buying the iPhone 17 when the price drops to 5,000. The AI Agent monitors the trigger conditions and executes automatically. The implementation logic is cryptographically signed using Verifiable Credentials (VCs). Users can set complex commission conditions, including price ranges, time limits, and payment method priorities, forming a tamper-proof digital contract. Once signed, the AI Agent executes according to the conditions, with VCs ensuring auditability and security at every step. Of particular note is the "A2A x402" extension, a technical component developed by Google specifically for crypto payments, developed in collaboration with Coinbase and the Ethereum Foundation. This extension enables AI Agents to seamlessly process stablecoins, ETH, and other blockchain assets, supporting native payment scenarios within the Web3 ecosystem. What kind of imagination space can AP2 bring? After analyzing the technical principles, do you think that's it? Yes, in fact, the AP2 is boring when it is disassembled alone. Its real charm lies in connecting and opening up the "MCP+A2A+AP2" technology stack, completely opening up the complete link of AI Agent's autonomous analysis+execution+payment. From now on, AI Agents can open up many application scenarios. For example, AI Agents for stock investment and financial management can help us monitor the market 24/7 and conduct independent transactions. Enterprise procurement AI Agents can automatically replenish and renew without human intervention. AP2's complementary payment capabilities will further expand the penetration of the Agent-to-Agent economy into more scenarios. Google obviously understands that after the technical framework is established, the ecological implementation must be relied upon, so it has brought in more than 60 partners to develop it, almost covering the entire payment and business ecosystem. Interestingly, it also involves major Crypto players such as Ethereum, Coinbase, MetaMask, and Sui. Combined with the current trend of currency and stock integration, the imagination space has been doubled. Is web3 AI really dead? Not entirely. Google's AP2 looks complete, but it only achieves technical compatibility with Crypto payments. It can only be regarded as an extension of the traditional authorization framework and belongs to the category of automated execution. There is a "paradigm" difference between it and the autonomous asset management pursued by pure Crypto native solutions. The Crypto-native solutions under exploration are taking the "decentralized custody + on-chain verification" route, including AI Agent autonomous asset management, AI Agent autonomous transactions (DeFAI), AI Agent digital identity and on-chain reputation system (ERC-8004...), AI Agent on-chain governance DAO framework, AI Agent NPC and digital avatars, and many other interesting and fun directions. Ultimately, once users get used to AI Agent payments in traditional fields, their acceptance of AI Agents autonomously owning digital assets will also increase. And for those scenarios that AP2 cannot reach, such as anonymous transactions, censorship-resistant payments, and decentralized asset management, there will always be a time for crypto-native solutions to show their strength? The two are more likely to be complementary rather than competitive, but to be honest, the key technological advancements behind AI Agents currently all come from web2AI, and web3AI still needs to keep up the good work!
Share
PANews2025/09/18 07:00
Token Terminal Taps LayerZero to Provide Institutional-Level On-Chain Data Transparency

Token Terminal Taps LayerZero to Provide Institutional-Level On-Chain Data Transparency

Token Terminal, a prominent platform for on-chain analytics and data, has partnered with LayerZero, a cross-chain interoperability network. The partnership aim
Share
Coinstats2026/02/12 17:30
Will the "red envelope rally" of Bitcoin during the Lunar New Year repeat itself this year?

Will the "red envelope rally" of Bitcoin during the Lunar New Year repeat itself this year?

Looking back at the past Spring Festival market trends, Bitcoin has almost always risen during the Spring Festival – from 2015 to 2024, it recorded positive returns
Share
PANews2026/02/12 17:12