Press Releases

SB Payment Service Corp. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tomonori Hotta; hereinafter "SBPS"), a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. and the core of its finance business, has decided to acquire shares of BXJA1 Holdings Co., Ltd., the wholly owned parent company of SP.LINKS Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Ryosuke Nomura; hereinafter "SP.LINKS"), through a private equity fund managed or advised by an affiliate of Blackstone Inc., a major US investment fund, and will proceed with the procedures to make SP.LINKS a subsidiary (hereinafter "the Share Acquisition").
This share acquisition is subject to approval by the relevant authorities and the fulfillment of other conditions stipulated in the share transfer agreement. Until this share acquisition is completed, SBPS and SP.LINKS will continue to operate as independent entities.

Background of this stock acquisition

SBPS offers a diverse range of solutions, including PSP payment methods for over 40 payment brands, acquiring services, B2B financial services, and support for overseas expansion. Meanwhile, SP.LINKS operates a card data processing center, one of only a few in Japan, in addition to its PSP business, and boasts the only Credit Card Payment network in the non-face-to-face industry that connects directly with 16 major card companies.
By combining the strengths of both companies, we will further strengthen our diversified solution offerings, from a stable payment infrastructure to acquiring services, payment networks, and value-added services, establishing a system that can meet all of the needs of our merchants. This will create a business foundation that will make us one of the top companies in Japan with an annual payment transaction volume of over 10 trillion yen, and build a sustainable and competitive service delivery system.
Furthermore, with an eye on the widespread adoption of "Agentic Commerce," a new form of commercial transaction utilizing AI, we will promote the strengthening of the payment infrastructure that will support next-generation commercial transactions.

Comment from Tomonori Hotta, President & CISO

We are delighted to have reached an agreement to welcome SP.LINKS into our group. This initiative represents an important step towards building a top-class payment infrastructure in Japan. We are confident that by combining SP.LINKS' direct network and processing technology with the diverse payment solutions we have cultivated, we will be able to provide even greater value merchants.
Furthermore, with the advancement of AI, commercial transactions are moving towards the era of "Agentic Commerce," and we see this change as a new growth opportunity. We will accelerate our efforts, including the utilization of AI and a common platform, to support the business growth of merchants with multifaceted solutions that include not only payment functions but also financial services, and aim to realize a comprehensive financial and commerce platform that starts with payments.

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Company Profile

SB Payment Service Corp.

SP.LINKS Co., Ltd.

Inquiries from the media regarding this matter

SB Payment Service Corp. Public Relations