TOKYO--SoftBank Group plans to issue a record volume of retail bonds to help fund artificial-intelligence investments as it deepens multi-billion-dollar commitments to OpenAI and related projects.
The Japanese technology conglomerate said Monday that it plans to issue 1 trillion yen, equivalent to $6.3 billion, of yen-denominated retail bonds with an indicative coupon of 4.3% to 4.9%. The seven-year bonds will be priced on Sept. 4.
Proceeds from the issuance will be used for AI-related investments and to repay previously issued bonds, a company spokeswoman said.
SoftBank's latest issuance will be the biggest retail bond offering ever by a Japanese company and ties with NTT Finance's 1-trillion-yen issuance of debt to institutional investors, according to I-N Information Systems.
The fundraising comes as SoftBank seeks to finance an increasingly ambitious AI strategy. The group has emerged as one of OpenAI's largest backers, with cumulative investments and commitments expected to exceed $60 billion.
Retail bonds have been a vital source of financing for SoftBank, which has been the most prolific issuer among Japanese corporates in recent years in volume terms, I-N Information Systems data shows.
SoftBank regularly taps the domestic retail market with "Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Bonds." Named after a baseball team owned by the company, the notes offer higher yields than traditional bank deposits.
The company's latest offering is expected to provide more firepower for SoftBank's long-term AI investment agenda, including its growing exposure to OpenAI, analysts said.
To help fund the AI push, SoftBank has also monetized portfolio holdings, including the sale of its entire stake in Nvidia, and expanded financing secured by its shares of chip designer Arm.
Shares in SoftBank were recently trading 4.5% lower, in line with a broader downturn across tech stocks in Asia. The Nikkei index was down 0.5%.
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