The world's highest-earning billionaires.
Four billionaires on the list are Chinese, notably with the rise of the owner of the Xiaomi phone company.
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1. Warren Buffett (USA) Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway investment company Increased assets: $14.5 billion Total assets: $72.7 billion According to Forbes' 2015 World's Billionaires list, investment legend Warren Buffett saw the biggest increase in wealth last year, adding $14.5 billion. This doesn't include the $2.8 billion he donated to charity in July. This is all thanks to his conglomerate – Berkshire Hathaway Energy, BNSF, IMV, Lubrizol, and Marmon – which generated a combined pre-tax profit of $12.4 billion last year, nearly eight times higher than the previous year. |
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2. Jack Ma (China) Chairman and founder of Alibaba Increased assets: $12.7 billion Total assets: $22.7 billion Four of the top ten positions on the list are held by Chinese billionaires. Last year, Jack Ma successfully completed his IPO in the US, making his e-commerce giant Alibaba famous worldwide. |
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3. Georg Schaeffler (Germany) Major shareholder and Head of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler Group Increased assets: $12.6 billion Total assets: $26.9 billion |
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4. Li Hejun (China) Chairman, CEO, and Founder of Hanergy Group Increased assets: $10.8 billion Total assets: $21.1 billion |
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5. Patrick Drahi (France) Chairman and Founder of Altice Group Increased assets: $9.7 billion Total assets: $16 billion Despite the instability of the European economy, it remains home to many notable billionaires, including Patrick Drahi. His telecommunications company, Altice, went public last January, quickly propelling him onto the billionaire list. In just one year, Drahi's wealth increased by $9.7 billion, making him the 57th richest person in the world. He plans to spend nearly $22 billion to acquire five more businesses. |
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6. Lei Jun (China) Chairman, founder, and CEO of Xiaomi mobile phone company. Increased assets: $9.2 billion Total assets: $13.2 billion Besides Jack Ma, Xiaomi's owner, Lei Jun, also had a successful year, with his net worth increasing by $9.2 billion, thanks to the phone company being valued at $45 billion in its December funding round. |
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7. Wang Jianlin (China) Chairman and CEO of Wanda Group Increased assets: $9.1 billion Total assets: $24.2 billion Real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin also made the list. In September, Wang lost his title as China's richest man to Jack Ma. After the IPO of his real estate company Dalian Wanda in December, he regained the position. |
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8. Dilip Shanghvi (India) Founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals Increased assets: $7.2 billion Total assets: $20 billion |
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9. Forrest E. Mars (USA) Member of the Board of Directors of Mars candy company Increased assets: $6.6 billion Total assets: $26.6 billion |
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9. Jacqueline Mars (USA) Member of the Board of Directors of Mars candy company Increased assets: $6.6 billion Total assets: $26.6 billion |
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9. John Mars (USA) Member of the Board of Directors of Mars candy company Increased assets: $6.6 billion Total assets: $26.6 billion |
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10. Larry Ellison (USA) Chairman, Chief Technology Officer, and Founder of Oracle Increased assets: $6.3 billion Total assets: $54.3 billion Rounding out this year's top 10 is Oracle software billionaire Larry Ellison. His company's stock only increased by $6.30 over the past year. But that was enough for Ellison to earn an additional $6.3 billion and maintain his position as the world's fifth richest person this year. |
According to VNE
