SoftBank's annual profit quadruples as it doubles down on OpenAI bet
Japanese investment giant SoftBank reported a fourfold rise in annual net profit, hitting a record level in fiscal 2025. Strong markups on its OpenAI stake combined with a recovery in the wider Vision Fund portfolio. Masayoshi Son's group signalled it will keep deploying capital into AI infrastructure.
SoftBank reported annual net profit of around 1.9 trillion yen for fiscal 2025, a fourfold rise from the previous year. The figure is one of the highest annual results in the group's history and came in above market expectations.
The main driver was the revaluation of its stake in OpenAI, supported by markups in Vision Fund 2 holdings and strong performance at chip subsidiary Arm. SoftBank confirmed that it intends to keep increasing its exposure to OpenAI in the coming year.
Management said the group is building a new pipeline of investments in AI data centres, robotics and education models. Shares jumped on the Tokyo exchange after the announcement, while credit default swaps continued to tighten. Analysts highlight that heavy dependence on OpenAI carries both upside and downside risk.
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