Seven & I Holdings to sell stake to SoftBank and PayPay in multi‑billion yen share issue

Seven & I Holdings, the owner of 7‑Eleven in Japan, is preparing a new share issuance worth several hundred billion yen to SoftBank and PayPay. The move would end the retailer’s long‑standing policy of staying independent, allowing the three firms to capture a larger share of consumers’ wallets and to accelerate profit growth at its convenience‑store network. Seven & I shares rose modestly on the news.

At the same time, SoftBank‑backed digital‑payments company PayPay completed a U.S. IPO in March 2026, raising about $880 million and becoming the largest Japanese listing on a U.S. exchange in a decade. Industry leaders cite the PayPay IPO as a signal that Japanese firms are increasingly turning to U.S. capital markets for higher valuations, liquidity and global brand building, a trend highlighted at the second “Japan Go IPO Summit” in Tokyo.