SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund profit may reach an unprecedented $30 billion in the March quarter, almost quadrupling the record it had just set, according to people familiar with the matter.
Profit in the unit was supercharged by the successful initial public offering of Coupang Inc., the South Korean e-commerce leader which debuted in New York last month. That will account for the lion’s share of what’s expected to be between $25 billion and $30 billion in reported gains for the three months ended March 31, the people said, asking not to be named because the details are not yet public. SoftBank is scheduled to report results on May 12.
The markets are delivering their strongest validation yet for Masayoshi Son’s oft-criticized strategy of pouring massive amounts of cash into mature startups. The Vision Fund’s portfolio of over 160 investments will record its third straight quarter of record profits helped by a global IPO rush that has seen companies worldwide raise more than $200 billion in 2021.