SoftBank's subsidiary SB Payment Service will acquire SP.LINKS to strengthen its payment business.

On August 3, Japan's SoftBank Group's core payment subsidiary, SB Payment Service, reached an agreement with a fund under Blackstone Group to acquire shares of SP.LINKS' parent company. Upon completion of the transaction, SP.LINKS will become a subsidiary of SBPS. Both parties stated that they will combine SP.LINKS' accumulated expertise in payment infrastructure and service capabilities with SBPS' advantages in payment services and business fundamentals to further enhance the competitiveness of their payment agency business in response to the market changes brought about by the proliferation of cashless payments, the growth of e-commerce, and digital technologies such as AI.