SoftBank

Travel & Leisure SoftBank-backed Yanolja raises stake in Modetour as No. 2 shareholder

South Korea’s top travel and accommodation booking platform operator Yanolja Co. has increased its stake in travel agency Modetour Network Inc...

Artificial intelligence OpenAI, SoftBank tap Samsung for Stargate AI initiative

Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong discussed potential collaboration on the Stargate AI initiative with OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Alt...

Earnings Coupang posts record quarterly sales, swings to Q3 operating profit

Coupang Inc., South Korea’s answer to global e-commerce giant Amazon.com, posted its highest quarterly sales in the third quarter and swung to...

Venture capital SoftBank-backed Tridge in trouble amid Korean startup doom

Tridge Co., South Korea’s first agricultural product and food trading platform operator invested in by SoftBank Group Corp., is in financial t...

Business & Politics Line Yahoo to sever tech ties with Naver by year-end: LY CEO

TOKYO – Japan’s LY Corp., the operator of the country’s top mobile messenger app Line, plans to sever technological and system tie...

Business & Politics LY vows to keep Line Plus as Naver-SoftBank breakup drags on

Japan’s LY Corp., the operator of the country’s top mobile messenger app Line, said on Wednesday it will keep its South Korean affiliate...

Business & Politics Naver to submit remedies to Japan without A Holdings stake sale

LY Corp., the operator of Japan’s popular messenger app Line, is expected not to propose Naver Corp.’s stake sale in its largest stakeho...

Business & Politics Korean government vows stern response to Tokyo’s pressure on Naver

The South Korean government said on Monday it will resolutely respond to any “unfair” measures by Tokyo against Naver Corp., which is re...

Business & Politics SoftBank to buy part of Naver's Line stake by July: CEO Miyakawa

TOKYO – SoftBank Corp., which runs LY Corp., the operator of the popular mobile messenger app Line in Japan, said on Thursday it is in talks w...

Artificial intelligence Naver, SoftBank to discuss Japan JV’s ownership change

South Korea’s top online portal Naver Corp. and Japan’s SoftBank Corp. will kick off talks this week, during which they are expected to ...

ESG SK Telecom, SoftBank to collaborate for SV measurement

South Korea’s SK Telecom Co. announced on Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation in measuring social value...

Korean startups SoftBank-backed Korean flea market app sees overseas growth

Danggeun Market Inc., South Korea’s largest online flea market service provider, enjoyed growth in other countries with its Karrot app briefly...

Korean startups SoftBank-backed Balancehero still hungry for bigger market

In India, the world’s most populous country, about 1.2 billion people are estimated to have no credit score because most are unbanked, meaning...

Earnings SoftBank-backed Coupang posts 1st-ever annual profit in 2023

South Korea’s leading e-commerce platform Coupang Inc. on Wednesday posted its first-ever operating profit of $473 million in 2023, driven by ...

Artificial intelligence Softbank to join SK Telecom-led global AI joint venture

BARCELONA -- Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. tied up with major global telcos such as South Korea’s top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. and E...

Korean chipmakers SoftBank’s Son expected to meet Samsung's Lee for Arm M&A discussion

SoftBank Group Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son, who also goes by the Korean name Son Jeong-ui, arrived in South Korea on Saturday. When asked about the purp...

Mergers & Acquisitions Samsung’s Lee, SoftBank’s Son to discuss partnership on ARM

Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee will meet with Japan’s SoftBank Group Chairman Masayoshi Son next month to discuss a deal reg...

Korean startups SoftBank-backed Tridge becomes South Korea’s first agriculture unicorn 

South Korea’s agriculture and food trading platform Tridge Co. announced Thursday that it raised 50 billion won ($37.4 million) from DS Asset ...

Mergers & Acquisitions SoftBank Son's youngest brother poised to buy Korean VC arm

Taizo Son, the youngest brother of SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son, is poised to buy the group's South Korean venture capital arm for around 200 bil...

Venture capital Venture capital heavyweights tighten belts after 13-year spending spree

Venture capital firms at home and abroad are tightening their belts, following growing concerns over inflation and continued interest hikes by maj...

Venture capital KDB resumes global venture IR event in Singapore

South Korea’s state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) said on Thursday that KDB NextRound, the bank’s venture investment platform, will h...

Edtech startup Riiid joins Fast Company's list of most innovative firms

South Korea’s AI education startup Riiid has made it onto Fast Company's annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Since 20...

Pre-IPOs IMM to invest $120 mn in SoftBank-backed subtitle firm

South Korea's IMM Investment Corp. has agreed to invest 140 billion won ($120 million) in Iyuno-SDI Group, valuing the world's largest dubbing and s...

Venture capital SoftBank invests $146 mn in AI startup Qraft

SoftBank Group Corp. is investing $146 million in South Korea’s artificial intelligence company Qraft Technologies, Inc. The investment includ...

Venture Capital Mobile POS maker Payhere receives $84.2 mn in Series A funding 

Mobile point-of-sale (POS) system maker Payhere Inc. announced Tuesday it received 10 billion won ($8.4 million) in Series A funding from Softbank V...

Metaverse Softbank joins $190 mn fundraising by Naver metaverse platform

Naver Corp.’s metaverse platform secured $190 million from Softbank and other investors to expand its business in a market marked by fierce co...

Mergers & Acquisitions MBK sells Japan golf club to SoftBank's Fortress for $3.5 bn

MBK Partners has sold Japan's largest golf course operator Accordia Next Golf to SoftBank's Fortress Investment Group for 400 billion yen ($3.5 bill...

Metaverse Masayoshi Son to bet $170 mn on Naver metaverse platform

Softbank Group founder Masayoshi Son is slated to bet $170 million on Naver Corp.’s metaverse platform. The investment is expected to help Nav...

Korean startups SoftBank-backed Riiid acquires Langoo, eyes Japan's edtech market

South Korea-based artificial intelligence startup Riiid is looking to boost its presence in Japan following the acquisition of its Japan-based distr...

Entertainment Naver bets on SoftBank's e-book company to reclaim lead in Japan

South Korea’s major portal operator Naver Corp. is looking to firm up its partnership with SoftBank Group Corp. and increase its presence in J...