SoftBank to Expand OpenAI Investment, Will AI Cryptos Respond?

TheNewsCryptoPublished on 2026-01-28Last updated on 2026-01-28

Abstract

SoftBank plans to expand its investment in OpenAI, potentially increasing the AI firm's valuation to around $830 billion. This move aims to strengthen SoftBank's position in the AI sector and support OpenAI amid rising competition. Following the news, some AI cryptocurrencies, like Bittensor (TAO) and Story (IP), saw slight gains, though others declined. The overall AI crypto market cap rose slightly to $18.09 billion. However, the market remains volatile due to factors like global trade uncertainty and gold's rally to record highs, which is attracting safe-haven investors. Official details of SoftBank's additional investment have not yet been publicly confirmed.

SoftBank will reportedly expand its investment in Sam Altman-led OpenAI to strengthen its position in the AI race. AI cryptocurrencies have, so far, responded positively to this development; however, there are multiple factors, like Gold prices, that could eventually cause a surge or decline in their values.

SoftBank and OpenAI

SoftBank earlier announced concluding investments worth $41 billion. That was in December 2025, and according to a report by Reuters, the Japanese conglomerate will expand its holdings in the AI firm with more investments. SoftBank’s stake, based on December’s investment, is at 11%.

The investment is estimated to take OpenAI’s valuation to approximately $830 billion. It could be a part of a funding round that could raise almost $100 billion.

This comes under the objective of SoftBank looking to strengthen its ranks in the AI segment. Another reason is the rising cost for OpenAI amid stiff competition against Alphabet’s Google.

Reaction of AI Cryptos

Several AI cryptos have noted a surge in their respective values. Bittensor (TAO) has jumped slightly by 0.05% in the last 24 hours to trade at $234.53. Story (IP) has soared by 2.80% during the same timeline and is now exchanging hands at $2.18.

The collective market cap of the AI crypto segment is $18.09 billion, up by 0.31% when the article is being drafted. The collective trading volume is also up by 4.61%. Notably, multiple top AI cryptos have also lost their values, like NEAR, ICP, and RENDER.

What’s Next for the AI Segment?

The information about SoftBank’s further investment in OpenAI is yet to be made public, according to the same report by Reuters. AI cryptos could continue to experience fluctuations, considering the global crypto market is volatile amid the rising international trade uncertainty and Gold’s rally.

For a quick reference, Gold has just set a new record high of $5,224.95 per ounce despite the dollar’s decline to a near 4-year low. US President Donald Trump, when asked about the USD’s plunge, said that the currency’s value was great.

Gold, seeing record-highs in recent days, is giving investors an opportunity to seek a safe haven in the precious metal. Trump was last seen threatening South Korea with additional tariffs and picking JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon for a lawsuit. These two scenarios, out of many more, are fueling uncertainty across the globe.

Highlighted Crypto News Today:

Orbs Enables Institutional-Grade Onchain Perpetual Futures on Sei via Gryps Integration

Zcash Founder Says Anthropic AI Audit Found No Serious Protocol Bugs

Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox announced that an AI security audit of the Zcash protocol, conducted by Anthropic's Mythos model at the request of Shielded Labs, found no new serious bugs. This result provides a positive security headline for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency amidst ongoing regulatory and technical scrutiny. The audit highlights the growing use of AI-assisted tools in crypto security, though it is not a replacement for human review. The absence of major flaws supports confidence in the protocol's robustness, but developers emphasize that security hardening work continues. The story underscores a broader industry shift where infrastructure and security updates are becoming central to crypto market narratives.

bitcoinist1h ago

Zcash Founder Says Anthropic AI Audit Found No Serious Protocol Bugs

bitcoinist1h ago

Bitcoin To $400,000? Analyst Uses Gold Overlay To Make Bold 2026 Case

A social media analyst, Vivek Sen, has suggested Bitcoin could reach $400,000 in 2026 based on a chart overlay comparing its price structure to gold's historical breakout pattern. The claim, made via an X post, argues that if Bitcoin continues to mirror gold's past trajectory, a significant price surge is possible. However, the article notes this is a visual comparison and not a formal forecast or valuation model. The analysis highlights that Bitcoin and gold have different market characteristics, including size, liquidity, volatility, and investor bases. Bitcoin's price is also more influenced by factors like ETF flows, derivatives, and crypto-native leverage. For the $400,000 scenario to materialize, the article suggests sustained institutional inflows, supportive macro conditions, and a strong ongoing uptrend would be necessary. Ultimately, the report frames the $400,000 target as a speculative, bullish scenario rather than a base-case prediction. It concludes that while the gold overlay provides an interesting framework, its relevance depends on real-world market confirmation through price action and demand signals.

bitcoinist3h ago

Bitcoin To $400,000? Analyst Uses Gold Overlay To Make Bold 2026 Case

bitcoinist3h ago

Bitcoin Halving Clock Points To Bottoming Phase, But Cycle Signal Needs Caution

Crypto analyst Crypto Rover claims Bitcoin is currently in a post-halving "bottoming phase," based on a historical cycle chart suggesting repeatable market rhythms. However, the analysis is flagged as speculative trader commentary, not a confirmed signal. The article cautions that halving-cycle models are less reliable in today's more mature, institutional market influenced by ETFs, derivatives, and macro factors. While such narratives can shape trader sentiment, actual confirmation of a bottom requires support from price action, liquidity, on-chain data, and broader risk appetite. The key takeaway is to view the cycle argument as an interesting framework, not a trade signal, until Bitcoin demonstrates it can hold key support levels and build a stronger price structure.

bitcoinist5h ago

Bitcoin Halving Clock Points To Bottoming Phase, But Cycle Signal Needs Caution

bitcoinist5h ago

Bitcoin Trader Says Cycle Tops And Bottoms Match Exact Day Counts

A Bitcoin trader claims to have discovered a remarkably precise timing pattern in Bitcoin's market cycles, suggesting they repeat to the exact day. According to the trader, bull-market runs from cycle low to high in the 2014-2017, 2018-2021, and 2022-2025 periods each lasted precisely 1,064 days. Similarly, bear-market declines from peak to trough in 2017-2018 and 2021-2022 allegedly lasted exactly 364 days. Such a pattern would offer traders a simple, calendar-based framework for anticipating market turns. However, the article highlights significant risks with such exact-cycle claims, noting they can depend heavily on cherry-picking specific price peaks and troughs to fit the narrative. Factors like Bitcoin halvings, macro conditions, and investor psychology influence markets but don't guarantee perfect day-count windows. Despite the skepticism warranted towards precise date predictions, cycle theories remain powerful narratives in crypto. They provide traders with a story to frame market uncertainty and timing decisions, especially during periods of consolidation. The takeaway is that while these patterns are interesting as social-market commentary, they should not be relied upon alone for making concrete price predictions.

bitcoinist7h ago

Bitcoin Trader Says Cycle Tops And Bottoms Match Exact Day Counts

bitcoinist7h ago

$9.4 Billion: The Largest Robotics Funding This Year Has Emerged

Munich-based humanoid robotics company Neura has completed a $1.4 billion (approximately RMB 94.9 billion) Series C funding round, valuing the company at around $7 billion and positioning it among the global leaders in the sector. The investment round is notable not just for its size—reportedly the largest in robotics this year—but also for its strategic backers, which include tech giants like NVIDIA and Amazon, alongside established industrial players such as German engineering firms Bosch and Schaeffler. This mix of investors signals a significant shift in the industry's focus from technological demonstrations and general-purpose narratives toward practical, industrial deployment and commercialization. Neura's approach centers on developing humanoid robots for defined, high-value industrial tasks rather than pursuing a general-purpose model. Its early validation comes from a partnership with BMW, where its robots are being tested on actual production lines. The involvement of Bosch and Schaeffler, companies deeply embedded in global manufacturing, underscores a growing belief that humanoid robots are transitioning from labs to viable factory-floor solutions. The article highlights two converging trends driving investment: advancements in AI and large language models, which enhance robots' perception and decision-making in unstructured environments, and mounting pressure from labor shortages and rising costs in major manufacturing regions. The funding landscape is now bifurcating between companies like Figure AI, focusing on versatile general-purpose robots, and firms like Neura, targeting specific vertical industrial applications with clearer, shorter paths to ROI. While technical hurdles remain, the core challenges for widespread adoption are increasingly seen as engineering and commercial in nature: managing the high integration and customization costs for different factory environments and establishing robust, localized maintenance and service networks. The record investment in Neura, particularly from industrial capital, indicates the industry's growing confidence in moving from proving feasibility to solving the practical problems of scalability, reliability, and building sustainable business models around humanoid robots in real-world settings like automotive manufacturing and hazardous labor environments.

marsbit13h ago

$9.4 Billion: The Largest Robotics Funding This Year Has Emerged