Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group Corp., speaks at the SoftBank World event in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
SoftBank Group on Thursday reported fiscal first-quarter profit that topped expectations, driven by gains in its Vision Fund tech investment arm.
The Japanese giant reported 421.8 billion yen ($2.87 billion) in the quarter ended June, versus 127.6 billion yen expected, according to LSEG consensus estimates. It is the second straight quarter of profit for SoftBank. The company reported a 174.28 billion yen loss in the same period last year.
In the fiscal first quarter, SoftBank said the value of its Vision Funds rose $4.8 billion. It is the biggest gain in value for the Vision Fund since the June quarter of 2021.
Profit for the Vision Funds segment, which takes into account other factors like expenses, hit 451.4 billion yen in the quarter, versus a loss in the same period last year.
SoftBank has been on spending spree related to AI. The Japanese giant is leading a $40 billion funding round into ChatGPT developer OpenAI and it is currently waiting for its $6.5 proposed acquisition of AI chip firm Ampere Computing to close.
For OpenAI, SoftBank said that an initial $10 billion has been made by SoftBank and other investors. The remaining $30 billion funding will take place by December.
The Vision Fund performance will be welcomed by investors hoping to see those big AI bets start to pay off.
On Thursday, ahead of earnings, SoftBank Group shares hit a record high. The stock is up more than 36% this year, while the company has added nearly $37 billion to its market capitalization.