ABB and SoftBank are considering spinning off the China business of ABB's robotics division to save SoftBank's planned purchase of the division, which Chinese authorities blocked last week, Bloomberg reported, according to dpa-AFX in Handelsblatt.
People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg the China part could become a separate company with a different ownership structure, an effort driven mainly by SoftBank, and that it could fail. ABB is also looking at other options, including another buyer for the whole robotics business. Both companies declined to comment.
ABB agreed in October 2025 to sell the division to SoftBank for an enterprise value of about USD 5.4 billion. On Thursday it said China's authority for security reviews of foreign investment had prohibited the deal.
