SoftBank reopened talks with lenders for a $10B loan backed by its OpenAI stake, after earlier attempts stalled over the difficulty of valuing private companies, according to Reuters. To reassure banks, SoftBank is now offering to guarantee repayment, giving lenders recourse to the parent if the pledged OpenAI shares lose value, a concession from its original ask to back the loan solely with the shares. The consortium is expected to include Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Mizuho, and the margin loan funds Masayoshi Son’s AI push, which has committed more than $60B to OpenAI and related infrastructure like the Stargate venture. SoftBank also faces a March 2027 deadline to repay a $40B bridge loan that helped finance its OpenAI investment.
