📈 SoftBank's Masayoshi Son Becomes Asia's Richest Person Amid AI Boom

Driven by surging SoftBank shares and market euphoria surrounding Artificial Intelligence, 68-year-old Masayoshi Son has become Asia's richest individual, surpassing Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani ($90 Bn). SoftBank has also overtaken Toyota Motor as Japan’s most valuable company by market capitalization. Key Financial Highlights • Net Worth: Masayoshi Son's fortune has risen to US$ 97 Bn, primarily derived from his SoftBank stake. • Market Capitalization: SoftBank's market cap has reached US$ 298 Bn, with shares rallying over 80% this year. • Financial Leverage: SoftBank reduced its loan-to-asset value to 17% (down from 18% in Q4), staying well within its self-imposed 25% risk limit. Major Portfolio Drivers • Arm Holdings: The Nasdaq-listed chip maker (nearly 90% SoftBank-owned) saw its shares jump over 250% this year. Arm forecasts hitting its US$ 15 Bn chip sales target ahead of schedule, with revenue projected to reach US$ 25 Bn in 5 years (a 6-fold increase from 2025). • OpenAI: SoftBank has invested over US$ 30 Bn in the ChatGPT creator, which was valued at US$ 852 Bn in March. SoftBank has committed an additional US$ 20 Bn by October 2026, ahead of a potential public debut that analysts suggest could eye a US$ 1 Trillion valuation. • AI Infrastructure: Son announced a massive investment of up to €75 Bn (US$ 87 Bn) in AI infrastructure, focusing heavily on data centers across France. _Note: Analysts caution that the market increasingly shows signals of entering a mania phase, with intense competition emerging from rivals like Anthropic (recently valued at US$ 965 Bn) and cheaper, open-source AI models._