Japanese tech and telecom conglomerate SoftBank Corporation and digital payments platform PayPay is reportedly in talks to invest up to 300 billion yen (around USD 1.85 billion) in the Far East Asian nation’s retail giant Seven & i Holdings, in a move that could provide fresh momentum to the convenience store operator’s ongoing turnaround efforts while accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) across its stores.
The proposed investment, as per Bloomberg News, will total 700 billion yen, with Sumitomo Mitsui Card, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, also likely to acquire a stake. Japanese daily Nikkei, while confirming the news, also stated that the combined investment could reach as much as 300 billion yen.
The investment, if successfully realized, will mark a significant boost for Seven & i, the operator of the global 7-Eleven convenience store chain, whose largest markets are Japan and the United States. Off late, the retailer has struggled to revive its growth trajectory despite a series of strategic initiatives. In 2025, it came under intense scrutiny during a prolonged takeover approach from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard. The proposed acquisition, had it gone ahead, would have been Japan’s largest-ever foreign buyout.
Seven & i has faced mounting pressure from shareholders to improve profitability and sharpen its focus on its core convenience store operations. As part of its ongoing restructuring strategy, the company agreed in March 2025 to sell its supermarket business to private equity firm Bain Capital, allowing it to concentrate operational resources on its flagship convenience retail business.
“Beyond providing capital, the investment could strengthen Seven & i’s digital transformation strategy. SoftBank plans to deploy its in-house AI technologies to enhance store management, improve operational efficiency, and introduce autonomous robots to reduce labor requirements across Seven & i outlets,” Bloomberg reported further.
The proposed partnership also aligns with SoftBank’s broader AI ambitions. The domestic telecommunications arm of SoftBank Group has been developing enterprise AI solutions in collaboration with Sam Altman’s OpenAI. SoftBank Group, on its part, has continued to expand its AI investments globally, with cumulative commitments expected to exceed USD 60 billion by the 2026-end, underscoring its aggressive push to become a leading force in AI infrastructure and applications.