November 29, 2025 – SoftBank Group Corp. unveiled on November 26 that it intends to raise approximately 500 billion yen from individual investors through a bond issuance.
According to the term sheet released by the company, these unsecured senior bonds with a seven – year maturity will carry a final coupon rate of 3.98%. This interest rate has set a new benchmark for SoftBank, marking the highest level among its similar yen – denominated bond issuances in over fifteen years. The last time SoftBank issued comparable bonds with such a high coupon rate was back in 2009, when the rate stood at 4.52%.
The Japan Times pointed out that SoftBank’s decision to issue high – interest bonds is closely tied to significant changes in Japan’s macroeconomic environment. The Bank of Japan officially ended its multi – year negative interest rate policy in March 2024. This policy shift directly drove up the yields on Japanese government bonds, which serve as a benchmark for corporate bond issuances, causing the overall market interest rate to rise.
The proceeds from SoftBank’s bond sale will be partially used to repay the bridge loan related to its additional investment in OpenAI. Over the past month, as the global rally in artificial intelligence – related stocks has cooled down, SoftBank’s stock price has dropped by around 30%. Meanwhile, its credit default swap spread, an indicator of credit risk, has widened to the highest level in nearly four months.
