Deals
SoftBank Bets $1 Billion on Battered Payments Firm Wirecard
- Japanese conglomerate secures 5.6% holding in bonds deal
- Payments company’s stock whipsawed after allegations of fraud
This article is for subscribers only.
SoftBank Group Corp.’s $1 billion bet on Wirecard AG is a boon for the battered German digital-finance firm and secures a major European partner for the Japanese tech conglomerate that’s bulking up in mobile payments.
For SoftBank, the agreement furthers its transformation from a telecommunications operator into a technology investor under founder Masayoshi Son. For Wirecard, the investment means easier access to markets in Asia and a vote of confidence after months of whipsawing shares following allegations of accounting misdeeds at its Singapore unit.