SoftBank Plans Smallest Yen Bond Sale to Institutions Since 2012

SoftBank Group Corp. is readying its smallest yen-denominated bond sale for institutions in over 10 years, while leaning on its strong retail investor base for funding its AI projects and refinancing existing debt.

The Tokyo-based conglomerate plans to raise around ¥10 billion ($70 million) from institutional investors in a deal set to be priced on April 18, the same day when it will price retail bonds, eyeing a record-setting issue amount of ¥600 billion. The institutional tranche’s size is equivalent to just around half a percent of SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son’s $12 billion net worth, Bloomberg-compiled data show.

“We ...