Agile Robots Lands $500 Million Round Led by SoftBank at $8.5 Billion Valuation, Even as Parent's Losses Deepen
Published on 11/12/2026 at 18:22 | Editorial boerse-global.de
SoftBank is doubling down on German robotics while its own balance sheet absorbs the cost of an aggressive AI build-out. The Japanese conglomerate is leading a $500 million funding round for Munich-based Agile Robots, valuing the company at $8.5 billion, according to a Handelsblatt report. Nvidia, Hitachi and T.Capital are joining the Series F round, which follows the $220 million Series C that SoftBank led back in 2021.
The fresh capital is earmarked for Agile's push into the US market and for expanding production capacity. The company's Fürstenfeldbruck plant is designed to turn out up to 10,000 humanoid robots a year, and Agile says it already has more than 20,000 automation solutions installed worldwide. Some of the money will also go toward developing new robotics applications and building up engineering headcount, tying geographic expansion to technical development.
CEO Zhaopeng Chen has floated the idea of a later stock market listing. A successful IPO would give SoftBank another angle on its stake, though the nearer-term yardstick remains execution on the US rollout and the manufacturing build-out.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying SoftBank Group?
A Costly Quarter Behind the Cheque-Writing
The robotics bet lands against a strained financial backdrop at group level. For the July–September quarter of 2026, SoftBank reported a net loss of 1.12 trillion yen, a sharp reversal from a 2.5 trillion yen profit in the same period a year earlier, and the result fell short of expectations. Revenue, by contrast, climbed 16% to 2.2 trillion yen.
Financing costs for the quarter came in at roughly 462 billion yen, more than double the prior-year figure, and Reuters reported that the group raised $56.5 billion during the period to fund its investments. A $3.7 billion hit tied to revised procurement plans for power-generation equipment at US AI data centers also weighed on the numbers, stemming from losses on non-refundable advance payments. Media reports additionally pointed to losses on Intel-related derivatives, with rising funding costs and AI infrastructure spending flagged as concerns in coverage following the results.
Setbacks and New Ventures in Equal Measure
On the deal front, SoftBank said on 6 November that China's foreign investment security review had blocked its acquisition of ABB's Chinese robotics business; the group said it is in talks with ABB about the matter. Two days earlier, SoftBank had unveiled plans with Grab Holdings and Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) for AI infrastructure projects in Malaysia, backed by an initial US$1.85 billion in joint seed capital from the partners — planned investments rather than committed outlays.
For investors, the question is whether Agile can convert the new funds into broader industrial adoption of its systems, and whether SoftBank's financed companies can keep advancing operationally while its funding costs stay in check.
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