SoftBank Q4 Profit Hits 1.83 Trillion Yen on OpenAI Gains

SoftBank Group Corp., the Japanese technology investment giant, reported a net profit of 1.83 trillion yen ($11.6 billion) for its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31, 2026, more than tripling the 517 billion yen from the same period a year earlier and far exceeding analyst expectations of 295.2 billion yen.

The surge stemmed largely from valuation gains on its stake in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. SoftBank valued its OpenAI holding at $79.6 billion at quarter's end, reflecting a cumulative gain of $45 billion. The company has invested $34.6 billion in the U.S. artificial intelligence startup so far and committed to more than $60 billion overall, positioning it for roughly 13 percent ownership. OpenAI completed funding rounds in February at an $890 billion valuation and in March at $852 billion, with SoftBank co-leading the latter. The Vision Fund, SoftBank's main investment vehicle, posted gains of about $20 billion in the quarter, almost entirely from OpenAI, according to company disclosures.

For the full fiscal year, SoftBank's net income reached 5 trillion yen ($32 billion), nearly five times the prior year's 1.15 trillion yen. Sales rose almost 8 percent to 7.8 trillion...