China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion ABB robotics takeover

Chinese regulators have told SoftBank Group they will not allow its $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB's robotics division, the Financial Times reported, with the National Development and Reform Commission set to block the deal.

Why it matters: Robotics is central to Masayoshi Son's push into physical artificial intelligence, and China is the biggest market for ABB's robotics unit, so a block removes the deal's core growth market and leaves SoftBank to decide whether it can seek approval again.

Data as of Financial Times report carried by Investing.com on November 4, 2026, based on multiple people familiar with the matter; no statement from SoftBank, ABB or the National Development and Reform Commission is cited in the report, so the block is single-origin reporting and is graded C. Developing item.

Chinese regulators have told SoftBank Group that they will not allow its $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB’s robotics division, the Financial Times reported, citing multiple people familiar with the matter. SoftBank was informed that China’s National Development and Reform Commission would block the deal, and the company is now trying to determine what went wrong and whether it can seek approval again, according to the report.

China is the biggest market for ABB’s robotics unit, and robotics is a major part of chief executive Masayoshi Son’s push into physical artificial intelligence. SoftBank shares fell 5 percent in Tokyo on Thursday, against a 0.5 percent fall in the Nikkei 225, with the stock also pressured by an overnight fall in Arm Holdings after the chip designer’s current quarter guidance underwhelmed.

China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion ABB robotics takeover

Sources