SoftBank Taps on OpenAI Investment, While Japanese Automakers Drag

SoftBank Group Corp.’s third-quarter earnings this week will be the first opportunity for the Japanese tech giant to respond to reports it’s considering raising its investment in OpenAI.

Raising its stake beyond the 11% it currently owns — making it one of the ChatGPT-maker’s largest backers — could put pressure on its credit rating, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, as the reported $30 billion increase could see the group’s loan-to-value ratio hit a 35% downgrade trigger, likely requiring asset sales and margin loans of at least $15 billion to maintain the ratio below 25%.