SoftBank Group announced Wednesday that its consolidated net profit reached 5.022 trillion yen [1] for the fiscal year ending March 2026.
This financial milestone marks the first time a Japanese company has ever recorded a final profit exceeding five trillion yen [2]. The result signals a massive shift in the company's portfolio performance, driven largely by the rapid ascent of artificial intelligence technology.
The primary catalyst for the surge was a significant increase in the valuation of the company's investment in the U.S.-based OpenAI [3]. Reports on the exact valuation gain vary across sources, ranging from approximately six trillion yen [4] to as high as 7.028 trillion yen [5]. Nikkei specifically reported the gain at 6.7304 trillion yen [6].
This performance represents a sharp increase compared to the previous fiscal year ending March 2025, during which the company reported a net profit of 1.8296 trillion yen [1]. The growth underscores the volatility and high reward associated with the current AI investment cycle.
"OpenAI is growing as expected," a SoftBank Group CFO said [1].
The announcement took place in Tokyo, highlighting the conglomerate's strategic pivot toward AI-centric investments to drive future growth. The company's financial trajectory now hinges heavily on the continued market dominance and valuation growth of its AI holdings.
“The first time a Japanese company has ever recorded a final profit exceeding 5 trillion yen.”
SoftBank's record-breaking profit demonstrates the immense financial impact of the generative AI boom on venture capital portfolios. By securing a high-valuation stake in OpenAI, SoftBank has transitioned from previous volatility into a position of extreme leverage within the AI sector, though it also ties the company's stability to the valuation of a single, high-profile entity.
