SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire DigitalBridge Group, a leading global digital infrastructure investment firm, in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $4 billion.

The deal, announced Monday, represents a major escalation in founder Masayoshi Son’s aggressive push to dominate the physical backbone of artificial intelligence, securing critical data center capacity, connectivity, and power assets essential for next-generation AI scaling. Under the terms, SoftBank will pay $16 per share for all outstanding common stock of DigitalBridge—a 15% premium to Friday’s closing price and a 50-65% premium to pre-rumor levels earlier in December.

The acquisition values the equity at about $2.92-3 billion, with closure expected in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals. DigitalBridge shares surged 9.7% to $15.27 in Monday trading, building on a 45% rally earlier this month after initial reports of talks. The stock approached but remained slightly below the offer price, reflecting anticipation of deal completion.

As AI transforms industries worldwide, the need for more compute, connectivity, power, and scalable infrastructure, grows. DigitalBridge is a leader in digital infrastructure, and this acquisition is expected to strengthen the foundation for next-generation AI data centers, advance Softbank’s vision to become a leading Artificial Super Intelligence platform provider, and help unlock breakthroughs that move humanity forward.

DigitalBridge CEO Jacob Yahiayani noted that the buildout of AI infrastructure represents one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation. SoftBank’s vision, capital strength, and global network are expected to allow DigitalBridge to accelerate its mission with greater flexibility, invest with a longer-term horizon on behalf of our investors, and better serve the world’s leading technology companies as they scale their AI ambitions.

Post-closing, DigitalBridge will operate as a separately managed platform under Ganzi’s leadership, preserving its operational independence while integrating into SoftBank’s ecosystem. DigitalBridge, founded in 1991 as real estate-focused Colony Capital and rebranded in 2021 after a pivot under Ganzi, manages $108 billion in assets as of September 30, 2025. Its portfolio spans data centers, fiber networks, cell towers, small cells, and edge infrastructure across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East—making it one of the largest dedicated digital infrastructure investors globally.

The acquisition directly enhances SoftBank’s involvement in the Stargate project, a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative with OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX. DigitalBridge participates in Stargate, including Vantage’s near-gigawatt Wisconsin campus. Recent expansions brought Stargate to nearly 7 gigawatts of planned capacity across sites in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and the Midwest, with over $400 billion committed—putting the venture ahead of schedule toward its 10-gigawatt U.S. goal by year-end.

Son’s 2025 AI strategy has been relentless: SoftBank committed up to $30 billion to OpenAI (including syndicated portions), liquidated its $5.8 billion Nvidia stake to fund commitments, and pursued aggressive financing. The DigitalBridge deal follows Son’s public assertions of pursuing Artificial Super Intelligence, dismissing bubble concerns while predicting AI will generate at least 10% of global GDP.

Market reactions were positive in thin holiday volume: SoftBank shares edged higher, while analysts praised the strategic fit for securing scarce AI-enabling assets amid hyperscaler demand. The move positions SoftBank to control more of the “picks and shovels” in AI—namely, data centers, power, and networks—complementing its investments in Arm, OpenAI, and robotics.

Verisk has terminated its planned $2.35 billion acquisition of roofing software firm AccuLynx after U.S. antitrust regulators failed to complete their review by the deal’s final deadline.

The development pinpoints how prolonged regulatory scrutiny continues to reshape the calculus for large technology and data-driven transactions.

The data analytics company said on Monday that it pulled the plug after being notified by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that the agency had not finished reviewing the deal by December 26, the termination date set under the merger agreement. The transaction, announced in July, had initially been expected to close by the third quarter of 2025 before regulatory delays pushed the timeline back.

The decision immediately sparked a dispute between the two companies. AccuLynx has notified Verisk that it believes the termination is “invalid,” while Verisk said it “strongly disagrees” with that assessment and intends to “vigorously defend” its position. The standoff raises the prospect of a legal battle over whether Verisk was contractually entitled to walk away once the regulatory clock expired.

Verisk shares rose 1.7% in afternoon trading, suggesting investors were largely relieved by the outcome or saw limited strategic damage from the abandoned deal. Analysts at Raymond James said the termination could free up capital and potentially lead to incrementally higher share repurchases in 2026, now that Verisk will not need to deploy cash for the acquisition.

The deal had faced mounting uncertainty since October, when the FTC requested additional information from both Verisk and AccuLynx, a step that typically signals a deeper antitrust review and can extend timelines by several months. At the time, Verisk executives said discussions with regulators were progressing, but the extended review ultimately prevented the transaction from closing within the agreed window.

Verisk is believed to have given regulators additional time to complete their work by extending the termination date to December 26. When that deadline passed without clearance, the company opted to abandon the deal rather than face what could have become a protracted regulatory and legal process. In similar cases, companies often must choose between litigating against regulators—a process that can take years and carry reputational and financial risks—or walking away from the transaction altogether.

Founded in 2008, AccuLynx provides cloud-based software designed to help roofing contractors manage sales, estimates, production workflows, and overall business operations. The acquisition was intended to deepen Verisk’s exposure to construction and property-related analytics, complementing its core businesses that serve insurers, risk managers, and corporate clients with data-driven insights.

The transaction would have been one of Verisk’s largest strategic moves in recent years, reflecting a broader push among data and analytics firms to expand vertically into software platforms that generate proprietary operational data. Regulatory scrutiny of such combinations has intensified as authorities examine whether data consolidation could reduce competition or create barriers for smaller rivals.

With the acquisition now off the table, Verisk said it plans to redeem the $1.5 billion of debt it issued to finance the deal, reversing a key component of the transaction’s capital structure. That move is expected to strengthen the company’s balance sheet and restore financial flexibility, particularly as uncertainty persists around the pace of deal approvals in the U.S.

China will implement tariff reductions on a range of imported products beginning January 1, 2026, including resource-based commodities and medical supplies, as part of ongoing adjustments to its trade policy.

The cuts, detailed in a statement from the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council on Monday, aim to lower costs for critical inputs, support domestic industries, and enhance access to advanced technologies amid global supply chain shifts and economic recovery efforts. Key reductions target resource-based commodities such as recycled black powder used in lithium-ion batteries—a vital material for EV and energy storage production—reflecting China’s push to secure sustainable supply chains for its dominant battery sector, which controls over 80% of global manufacturing capacity.

The country will also lower levies on medical products, including artificial blood vessels and diagnostic kits for certain infectious diseases, to facilitate imports of advanced healthcare technologies and reagents, building on post-pandemic priorities for public health resilience. The commission specified that provisional import tariff rates for 935 products will be set below the most-favored-nation rates applied to all World Trade Organization members, granting preferential access to selected goods.

While the full list of affected items was not immediately released, the adjustments are expected to cover high-tech components, raw materials for strategic industries, and essential consumer goods, continuing a pattern from previous annual revisions that involved similar numbers of products in sectors like machinery, chemicals, and agriculture. The move comes as China balances import facilitation with domestic protectionism.

In 2025, the country has navigated trade tensions—including retaliatory duties on EU dairy (up to 42.7% from December 23) and ongoing U.S. tariff disputes—while promoting high-tech self-reliance under the Made in China 2025 framework. Lowering duties on battery materials supports the nation’s EV dominance and circular economy goals, such as recycling targets under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which emphasize green manufacturing and resource efficiency. Medical cuts align with efforts to bolster healthcare innovation, following investments exceeding 1 trillion yuan in biotech and pharmaceuticals this year.

Analysts interpret the adjustments as strategic signals of selective opening. Some believe the targeted reductions prioritize inputs that complement China’s industrial strengths, reducing costs for manufacturers while maintaining leverage in broader negotiations.

The changes could lower import expenses by 5-15% for affected categories, benefiting sectors like renewable energy with a projected 20% growth in 2026, and healthcare, aiming for universal coverage enhancements. No immediate market reactions were observed in thin holiday trading, but sectors like battery manufacturers and medical importers may benefit from cost savings, potentially boosting stock performance in Shanghai and Shenzhen indices.

Globally, the cuts could ease pressures on suppliers from Australia’s lithium resources and Europe’s medical tech, amid a projected 3.5% rise in China’s imports to $3.2 trillion in 2026. As global trade dynamics evolve—with potential U.S. policy shifts and EU-China frictions—these tariff tweaks underscore Beijing’s calibrated approach to fostering imports that complement domestic strengths without undermining industrial policy objectives, while navigating a slowing economy with 4.7% GDP growth in 2025 and external uncertainties.

The full HS code list and exact rate reductions are expected in supplementary notices from the General Administration of Customs by year-end.