Bank of America has issued a $520 million credit line to OpenAI, representing the bank’s first-ever loan to the AI powerhouse as it gears up for an initial public offering, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke with Reuters on Wednesday.
The credit arrangement places Bank of America among OpenAI’s largest lenders and strengthens the bank’s position as a major player in financing AI-related ventures, the source said. The source requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information.
According to internal figures reviewed by Reuters, Bank of America has helped generate nearly $500 billion in capital for AI-related businesses since 2025, representing roughly 60% of such fundraising across investment-grade debt, leveraged finance, and equity capital markets.
A second source familiar with the situation said the bank — the second-largest lender in the United States — is also pursuing advisory roles on the anticipated IPOs of both OpenAI and Anthropic.
This latest move follows Bank of America’s involvement in a high-profile IPO, where it served as a joint bookrunner and led the U.S. retail distribution effort. That company, led by Elon Musk, made its public debut in June at a valuation surpassing $2 trillion, making it the world’s largest IPO on record.
OpenAI quietly filed paperwork for a U.S. IPO last month. Reuters has previously reported that the company behind ChatGPT is aiming for a valuation of more than $1 trillion, with a potential listing that could happen before the end of this year.
For major Wall Street banks, blockbuster IPOs like this can be enormously profitable, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in fees and creating opportunities for years of additional business.
OpenAI had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. Bloomberg was the first to report the credit line extension earlier Wednesday.
OpenAI was established in 2015 as a nonprofit focused on AI research. Four years later, it launched a for-profit division to help cover the rapidly growing costs of developing advanced AI systems.
