China blocks SoftBank's $5.4bn takeover of ABB's robotics division, FT reports
The Financial Times reports the decision; the grounds for it and the responses of SoftBank and ABB are not yet known.
Why it matters
SoftBank agreed in October 2025 to buy ABB's robotics division for $5.375 billion, with Masayoshi Son calling physical AI the group's next frontier. The unit had 2024 revenue of $2.3 billion and about 7,000 employees, and makes industrial robot arms and autonomous mobile robots. A Chinese block would leave the centrepiece of SoftBank's plan to fuse AI with robotics in doubt, and it shows that Beijing's merger review can stop deals between non-Chinese companies. Watch for statements from SoftBank, ABB and China's market regulator, and whether ABB returns to its earlier spin-off plan.
Key facts
- Deal value $5.375 billion, agreed October 2025
- Block reported by the Financial Times on 5 November 2026
- ABB Robotics 2024 revenue $2.3 billion
- About 7,000 employees
- Masayoshi Son: physical AI is SoftBank's next frontier