WeWork could be valued at $20bn with Softbank investment
Japanese telecommunications firm SoftBank is reportedly close to finalising an investment of more than $3bn in WeWork, a US-based shared office space provider, according to sources cited by CNBC. The two firms are said to be discussing an initial investment of $2bn, followed by a second tranche of between $1bn and $2bn. WeWork has previously been valued at $17bn. In December 2016, Masayoshi Son, the Japanese billionaire behind SoftBank, pledged to spend $50bn in the US. WeWork has more than 150 locations across 15 countries.

SoftBank is close to finalizing an investment in WeWork, a source close to the transaction tells CNBC. The deal is expected to be worth over $3 billion.

The investment being discussed is a $2 billion primary tranche of funding, followed by a secondary round worth more than $1 billion. SoftBank may increase the size of the secondary investment to nearly $2 billion, the source said, for a total investment of nearly $4 billion in the shared space real estate startup.

For WeWork insiders, there is a tender offer on the table at around $44.10 per internal share. If the deal closes, WeWork would be valued at more than $20 billion. The most recent investment into WeWork valued the New York-based company at about $17 billion.

In December, Masayoshi Son, the Japanese billionaire who control SoftBank, promised Donald Trump he would invest $50 billion in the United States.