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Japanese Billionaire Softbank Founder Bought Bitcoin At Peak, Lost $130 Million

Japanese Billionaire Softbank Founder Bought Bitcoin At Peak, Lost $130 Million

File – In this July 20, 2017 file photo, SoftBank Group Corp. Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son speaks during a SoftBank World presentation at a hotel in Tokyo. SoftBank Group Corp. Son announced Wednesday a $200 billion solar power project in Saudi Arabia, which promises to be the largest of its kind ever. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

Masayoshi Son became a billionaire because of his penchant for taking profitable risks – but his investment in bitcoin didn’t prove to be one of them. The SoftBank founder invested heavily in the digital currency when it was at its peak, but ended up losing $130 million when he sold it, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Known for launching the world’s biggest venture-capital fund, the Japanese technology investor purchased the cryptocurrency in late 2017 when it was valued at nearly $20,000, reported CNBC. He sold in 2018 when bitcoin’s value plummeted.

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Son was said to make the investment at the advice of Peter Briger, co-chairman of the Fortress Investment Group, reported Finance Magnates. Briger was an early bitcoin investor himself. When SoftBank purchased Fortress in 2017, it had over $150 million in bitcoin investments.

With an estimated net worth of $19 billion, Son isn’t hurt too badly by the loss. But it does show that even the wisest and most successful investors don’t have a 100 percent return rate.    

Though bitcoin is now only trading at a little over $5,600, some are optimistic that new products and services like Samsung’s Galaxy S10 built-in cryptocurrency wallet will help the digital currency rebound.