SoftBank Targets $100B AI-Focused Fund from Gulf Investors
SoftBank seeks substantial investment from Gulf backers to drive AI-powered acquisitions and business transformation.
SoftBank seeks substantial investment from Gulf backers to drive AI-powered acquisitions and business transformation. XRP (XRP) is trading at $1.40. This is an original TLT brief synthesising 2 outlets (Cryptopolitan, Crypto.news), plus live market data, as of Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:15:02 UTC.
This development signals SoftBank's strategic pivot towards AI-driven business transformation rather than pure AI technology investment. A successful fund could reshape industries by integrating AI at scale while strengthening Gulf investor influence in global tech markets.
- SoftBank aims to raise up to $100B for AI-focused acquisitions.
- Fund targets Gulf investors for capital infusion.
- XRP Ledger fixes critical bug that could mint 18 trillion XRP.
Cryptopolitan and Crypto.news both report SoftBank's plan to raise up to $100 billion from Gulf investors for an AI-focused buyout fund, marking a strategic shift in SoftBank's investment approach. However, while Cryptopolitan emphasizes the fund's potential to transform businesses using AI, Crypto.news focuses on the technical aspects of the XRP Ledger bug fix and the $250K bounty awarded to researchers. The outlets do not contradict each other but highlight different aspects of the broader tech investment landscape.
SoftBank, led by CEO Masayoshi Son, is reportedly seeking up to $100 billion from Gulf investors to establish a new fund focused on acquiring businesses and enhancing their performance through AI integration. This move represents a strategic shift for SoftBank, which has traditionally invested in AI technology development but is now prioritizing the implementation of AI across various industries.
The proposed fund underscores the growing importance of AI in transforming traditional business models and the increasing interest of Gulf investors in tech-driven opportunities. If successful, the fund could significantly influence global markets by accelerating AI adoption and reshaping industries.
In related news, the 
XRP Ledger recently addressed a critical vulnerability that could have allowed the minting of 18 trillion XRP, according to Crypto.news. Researchers who discovered the decade-old bug were awarded a $250,000 bounty. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges and security considerations in blockchain technology.
The total cryptocurrency market cap currently stands at $2.9 trillion, with 
Bitcoin showing a modest 24-hour gain of 0.61% and trading within a range indicative of market consolidation. The Fear & Greed Index remains at 69, indicating a 'Greed' sentiment among investors.
XRP, the native token of the XRP Ledger, is priced at $1.4 with a 24-hour increase of 0.89% but has experienced a 7-day decline of 7.29%, reflecting broader market trends. The market cap of XRP is $88.65 billion, underscoring its significant position in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Since this brief published about 2 days ago, XRP (XRP) has moved from $1.40 to $1.40 — +0.00%.
The chart plots XRP's price: grey is the move before this brief published, the vertical dashed line marks the moment it published, the horizontal dashed line is the price then, and the coloured area is the move since — from TLT's market data (daily resolution). It shows what happened after the news, not that the news caused it; many factors move prices. Not financial advice.
At today's peer-to-peer rate, 1 XRP ≈ ₦1,912.21 (about $1.40), up 0.9% over 24 hours. The naira itself trades about 2.7% above the official rate on the P2P market, so a Nigerian buyer's effective cost differs from the headline dollar price.
Live market data
Current prices for the asset in this story — live, source-stamped, updated every 15 minutes.
Figures and sectors in this story, checked live against on-chain aggregators · October 12, 2026.
TLT reads these figures directly from on-chain aggregators (DeFiLlama, mempool.space) at build time — independent of what any outlet reported. Sector totals aggregate every protocol DeFiLlama tracks in that category. Values are live and will change.
SoftBank Targets $100B AI-Focused Fund from Gulf Investors — questions & answers
What is SoftBank's new investment strategy?
SoftBank plans to raise $100B for an AI-focused fund to acquire and transform businesses using AI.
Why is the XRP Ledger bug significant?
The bug could have allowed the creation of 18T XRP, posing a major security risk to the XRP ecosystem.
How much bounty was awarded for the XRP Ledger bug?
Researchers received a $250K bounty for discovering and reporting the vulnerability.
How much is 1 XRP worth in naira today?
About ₦1,912.21 at the live peer-to-peer (P2P) USDT rate, which is what Nigerians typically trade at — equivalent to roughly $1.40. The naira price moves with both XRP's US-dollar price and the USDT/NGN rate; use our XRP in naira page for any amount.
Which outlets reported this story?
This is an original TLT brief that synthesises reporting from Cryptopolitan, Crypto.news, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.
Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original TLT brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.