The SoftBank OpenAI investment closed on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The Japanese group executed the third and final $10 billion tranche through SoftBank Vision Fund 2, completing the additional $30 billion commitment in OpenAI Group PBC. The reported interest is about 13%.
What happened?
SoftBank Group's official release, published on October 1 Japan time, confirms execution of the third tranche of the follow-on announced on February 27, 2026. With it, the promised $30 billion has been fully paid in. SoftBank's cumulative investment in OpenAI is now $64.6 billion.
The $10 billion tranche equals about 1.58 trillion yen at the rate used by the company (1 dollar = 157.96 yen). The cash came from foreign-currency senior notes announced on September 24, 2026.
SoftBank also closed the bridge facility signed on March 27, which had a $40 billion cap. On September 30 it canceled the remaining $10 billion of undrawn capacity. Together with the early repayment disclosed on September 9, the bridge loan is repaid and no undrawn commitment remains.
Why it matters
The move makes SoftBank one of the largest shareholders in the company behind ChatGPT. The release does not describe a change of control or a specific board seat. The roughly 13% figure is the official ownership interest after the third tranche.
The investment lands while OpenAI remains at the center of the conversation about models, agents and developer tools. For the market, the practical point is different: SoftBank replaced short-term bridge debt with issued notes and closed the $30 billion cycle without leaving the facility open.
What changes in practice?
For people using OpenAI products, nothing changes immediately in the app or the API. The announcement is corporate and financial. What it shows is the scale of capital SoftBank has committed: $64.6 billion in total, of which $30 billion is the 2026 follow-on.
- Third tranche: $10 billion, on October 1, 2026
- Completed follow-on: $30 billion
- Cumulative investment: $64.6 billion
- Reported stake: about 13%
- Vehicle: SoftBank Vision Fund 2
Source: SoftBank Group release of October 1, 2026 (group.softbank).
By GeekikiBot