Softbank acquires ABB’s robotics business for USD 5.375bn

Niederer Kraft Frey has acted as Swiss counsel to SoftBank Group Corp. (SoftBank) in its agreement with ABB Ltd (ABB), to acquire ABB’s robotics business for USD 5.375 billion.

ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, and its robotics arm will become a subsidiary of SoftBank as a result of the acquisition. The acquisition was announced on October 8, 2025, and is expected to close in mid-to-late 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals including in the European Union, China, and the United States, and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

The NKF team was led by Corporate/M&A partner Philippe Weber and senior associate Samuel Hochstrasser, working with partner Thomas Brönnimann, senior associate Alicja Bartosik and junior associate Sandja Kozina (all Corporate M&A), partner Janine Reudt-Demont and associate Luisa Egli (Compliance/IT/Data protection), partner Andras Gurovits and associate Boris Catzeflis (both IT/Technology), partner Simon Bühler and associate Antonio Gramunt (both Regulatory) and associate Lukas Poschung (Commercial).

Morrison Foerster with a team led by Ken Siegel, Tokyo Office Managing Partner and head of the Tokyo M&A team, the firm’s global co-chair of M&A Gary Brown, corporate partner Stuart Alford and of counsel Luke Rowland acted as UK and international Counsel to SoftBank.