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SoftBank shares soar to record high on OpenAI IPO speculation
25 May 2026

SoftBank Group Corp.'s shares have surged to a new all-time high, driven by expectations of hefty returns from its investments in OpenAI and SB Energy Corp.

The company's stock price rose 4.6% on Monday at Tokyo's exchange, driving its market capitalization above ¥40 trillion ($252 billion).

This is a major jump from the company's gains between May 20 and now, which have increased by as much as 40%.

SB Energy and OpenAI's IPO plans trigger investor interest
Investor sentiment

The news of OpenAI's plans to file for an IPO in the near future has triggered a massive two-day rally in SoftBank's shares.

The power infrastructure firm SB Energy also announced its intention to quietly file for an IPO in the US.

These developments have contributed to a major shift in investor sentiment, with signs that OpenAI may be moving closer to an IPO, easing concerns over competition from Anthropic PBC, Google, and xAI Corp.

SoftBank's growing stake in OpenAI
Financial commitment

SoftBank, one of OpenAI's largest investors, has committed an additional $20 billion to the company. This brings its total investment to around $65 billion.

By October, it is expected to hold a 13% stake in the ChatGPT developers.

SoftBank-backed SB Energy has also been instrumental in founder Masayoshi Son's plans to set up data centers across the US.

Analyst's view on SoftBank's stock movement
Market analysis

Takashi Nakagawa, a senior analyst at TokaiTokyo Intelligence Laboratory Co., said the market is "extremely pleased" to see OpenAI's long-anticipated IPO may be nearing reality.

He added that such a move would improve transparency over opaque valuations around AI.

However, he also cautioned that "right now the stock is moving purely based on expectation," and expressed interest in seeing how OpenAI's market capitalization will stabilize.