SoftBank News

SoftBank Overhauls Top Management Team

Masayoshi Son elevated two SoftBank Group Corp. executives and one outsider to his inner circle, appointments that become official on Wednesday. The board approved the nominations of Marcelo Claure, Rajeev Misra and Katsunori Sago as executive vice presidents. Sago also …

Billionaire Chief of SoftBank Bets on Autonomously Driven World: Opinion

It has almost become a refrain: just what is Masayoshi Son up to? After plowing money into companies as diverse as Uber Technologies Inc., office rental specialist WeWork Cos Inc. and fintech lender SoFi, the billionaire chief of SoftBank Group …

Japan’s SoftBank Eyes Taking Stake in India Insurance Startup: Sources

SoftBank Group Corp. is in talks to back leading online insurance aggregator PolicyBazaar at a valuation of at least $800 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The two sides are examining how the Japanese company can take a …

China’s Ride-Hailing Firm Didi Raises $4B to Expand Overseas, Challenging Uber

Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing Technology Co. on Thursday said it has raised $4 billion in funds earmarked for expansion overseas and into areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), as it looks to challenge Uber Technologies Inc. The fundraising values …

SoftBank Invests in Online Startup Lender Kabbage (Which Might Sell Insurance)

SoftBank Group Corp. has plowed $250 million into online lender Kabbage Inc., the latest in a flurry of big bets on mature startups by the Japanese technology company. Kabbage will use the new money to expand its lending products for …

SoftBank & Honda Aim to Develop Talking Cars that Read a Driver’s Emotions

On the heels of its $32 billion takeover of chip designer ARM Holdings, SoftBank Corp. founder Masayoshi Son is embarking on another “crazy idea”: talking cars that can read a driver’s emotions. The Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation said on …

So. Africa’s Discovery Enters Japan Market with Sumitomo & SoftBank Partnership

Discovery Ltd., South Africa’s third-largest insurer by market value, said it has set up a partnership with Japan’s Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. and SoftBank Group Corp. to develop and introduce products for the world’s third-largest economy. Discovery’s Vitality program, which …