SoftBank weighs $18 billion acquisition of Allied Universal, source says

October 16, 2026 4:04 PM EDT

FILE PHOTO: File Photo: Softbank Group’s logo at its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, September 1, 2026. REUTERS/Manami Yamada/File Photo/File Photo

By Milana Vinn

Oct 16 (Reuters) - ‌SoftBank Group ​is ​considering an acquisition of Allied Universal in a deal that could value the US security services provider ‌at about $18 billion, a source familiar with the ⁠matter said on Friday.

• Allied Universal provides security staffing for businesses, venues ‌and major events, and has ‌a growing presence in the data center industry, supporting both development and operation of facilities

• The potential acquisition would ​complement SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son's increasing focus on AI, as he is exploring the use of AI-powered robots ⁠across industries, and looking to strengthen the infrastructure needed to support the technology

• With ​Allied, SoftBank would look to eventually replace some staff with robots for certain security tasks, though the ​deployment of humanoid security workers ‌is likely to take longer.

• Deliberations are preliminary and no final decisions have been made, including ⁠on the potential price, Bloomberg News first reported the news

• SoftBank declined to comment on the report, while Allied Universal did not ⁠immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment

• SoftBank is widely known ​for making large technology investments through its Vision Fund. It was an early investor in Alibaba, owns a majority stake in Arm, and ‌was a major backer of the office-sharing startup WeWork

• The deal builds on SoftBank's broader push ‌into robotics and automation, following its agreement last year to ⁠acquire swiss engineering group ‌ABB's robotics business for $5.4 ​billion

(Reporting by Apratim Sarkar in Bengaluru and Milana Vinn in New York; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Anil ‌D'Silva)



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