SoftBank doubles down on OpenAI as its portfolio reshapes — and crypto investors should take note. SoftBank Group reported a quarterly profit of ¥248.6 billion, falling short of analyst expectations of ¥336.7 billion, but the picture is not uniformly bleak. For the nine months from April to December, the group posted a 7.9% rise in net sales, income before tax jumped 228%, and net income surged nearly 400% year‑over‑year. Investment gains for the period doubled, though SoftBank’s investment business outside the Vision Funds plunged 91.9%. The company’s Vision Funds were the standout. SVF2 and other Vision Fund vehicles swung to a large gain after a prior-year loss, and — crucial for the broader tech and crypto ecosystem — they now hold the bulk of SoftBank’s exposure to OpenAI. SoftBank committed capital to OpenAI in March 2025 via SVF2; the first funding round closed in April 2025 with SVF2 participation and a second tranche closed in December. Following a recapitalization in October, SoftBank’s combined investments give it roughly an 11% stake across OpenAI Global LLC and OpenAI Group PBC, with the OpenAI shares held directly through SVF2. SoftBank is simultaneously pruning and refocusing its portfolio. Between June and December it sold a large stake in T-Mobile US and in October it exited its entire Nvidia position. The company has also been borrowing against Arm Holdings and other assets to preserve liquidity. At the same time, SoftBank is expanding into infrastructure and robotics — in October it agreed to buy ABB Ltd.’s robotics division, and in December 2025 it announced plans to buy DigitalBridge Group, a Florida data‑center investor, including debt. CFO Yoshimitsu Goto framed the strategy plainly on the earnings call: about 60% of SoftBank’s assets are now AI‑ or ASI‑related (ASI referring to artificial superintelligence). When asked about doubling down on OpenAI, Goto said SoftBank assumes OpenAI will lead the industry, is convinced of its long‑term potential, and expects monetization to accelerate through enterprise deals, hardware and advertising — even though OpenAI has not yet reached profitability. Market reaction: SoftBank shares have climbed through 2025 into 2026, and they got an extra lift after Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s recent electoral win. Takaichi campaigned on boosting government spending in AI and semiconductor sectors — a policy stance seen as supportive for SoftBank’s AI and infrastructure bets. Why crypto readers should care: SoftBank’s pivot amplifies capital flows into AI compute, data centers and semiconductor supply chains — all of which intersect with the crypto ecosystem through demand for high‑performance compute, cloud services, and infrastructure that could power AI+blockchain applications. Big strategic moves — OpenAI exposure, data‑center acquisitions, and exits from chip equities — signal where global mega‑investors see the next wave of tech value concentrating. Bottom line: SoftBank missed consensus profit estimates but doubled down on a concentrated AI strategy centered on OpenAI and related infrastructure, while selling noncore holdings to rebalance and shore up liquidity — a repositioning with implications beyond traditional tech markets, including for crypto infrastructure and AI-driven blockchain use cases. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news