NEW DELHI: Japanese Internet firm SoftBank is close to sealing an SR375.3 billion ($100 billion) technology fund it set up with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the company’s CEO Masayoshi Son reportedly said.
“I am talking to a few investors and I think we are oversubscribed,” Son was quoted as saying in a Bloomberg report.
SoftBank and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced the new venture in October with the Japanese company saying it will invest $25 billion, while Saudi Arabia committed $45 billion. The two have been talking to other investors for the remaining $30 billion.
Improving earnings at SoftBank’s US unit Sprint Corp. and steady cash flows at home have freed Son to focus on his longer-term vision for a company that’s made tens of billions investing in companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Supercell Oy.
Qatar and Abu Dhabi investor Mubadala Development Co. are considering investing in what is tentatively named SoftBank Vision Fund, people familiar with the matter have said.
With the funding in place, Son said he will be looking for opportunities to make the investments.
According to Bloomberg, the Japanese billionaire also said that SoftBank would surpass its commitment of investing $10 billion in India in 10 years.
“There is new technology and new excitement in India,” he said.
Son, 59, has been among the most bullish investors in Indian startups and SoftBank has plowed hundreds of millions of dollars into its portfolio in the country.
Son is betting on the future of connected devices with the purchase of ARM and he has said the chipmaker will be a key building block for the Internet of Things and play a role in bringing about advanced artificial intelligence.
“I dreamed of acquiring ARM for 10 years and finally I had the money,” Son said in the report.
PIF-backed $100bn SoftBank fund ‘oversubscribed’, says CEO
PIF-backed $100bn SoftBank fund ‘oversubscribed’, says CEO
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
