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The loan, guaranteed solely by its stake in Alibaba, won't be reflected in SoftBank's debt, likely protecting it from a potential ratings downgrade, according to the report
In a margin loan, a borrower secures the debt by pledging an asset with the understanding that they'd need to pay up if the value of the collateral declines, the report said.
SoftBank, which has a 29 percent stake in Alibaba, could not immediately be reached for comment, outside regular business hours.