SoftBank Will Let People Invest in IPOs With Less Than $10

  • Japanese companies are working to entice younger investors
  • New investment offering to start in first half of next year
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

SoftBank Corp.’s brokerage unit plans to do something that may be a first in capital markets. It will allow individuals in Japan to participate in initial public offerings with as little as a 1,000-yen note (worth a bit less than a 10-dollar bill).

One Tap BUY Co., controlled by the wireless unit of investment giant SoftBank Group Corp., is preparing to start offering such sales as early as March 2020 after obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals. This will mark the first time that investors will be able to subscribe to an IPO by investment amount rather than specified number of shares, said One Tap BUY Chief Executive Officer Masaaki Uchiyama.