The world's best money-making billionaires
Four billionaires on the list are Chinese, especially with the rise of the boss of phone company Xiaomi.
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1. Warren Buffett (USA) Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Investment Company Assets increased: 14.5 billion USD Total assets: 72.7 billion USD According to the 2015 World Billionaires list just released by Forbes, investment legend Warren Buffett is the person whose assets increased the most last year, with an additional 14.5 billion USD. That is not counting the 2.8 billion USD he donated to charity in July. All thanks to the group of companies - Berkshire Hathaway Energy, BNSF, IMV, Lubrizol and Marmon with a total pre-tax profit of 12.4 billion USD last year, an increase of nearly 8 times compared to the same period last year. |
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2. Jack Ma (China) Chairman and Founder of Alibaba Assets increased: 12.7 billion USD Total assets: 22.7 billion USD Four of the top 10 spots on the list are occupied by Chinese billionaires. Last year, Jack Ma successfully completed an IPO in the US, making e-commerce company Alibaba famous worldwide. |
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3. Georg Schaeffler (Germany) Major shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Schaeffler Group Assets increased: 12.6 billion USD Total assets: 26.9 billion USD |
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4. Li Hejun (China) Chairman, CEO and Founder of Hanergy Group Assets increased: 10.8 billion USD Total assets: 21.1 billion USD |
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5. Patrick Drahi (France) Chairman and Founder of Altice Group Assets increased: 9.7 billion USD Total assets: 16 billion USD Despite Europe’s economic turmoil, it is still home to a number of notable billionaires. Among them is Patrick Drahi. Telecommunications company Altice went public last January, catapulting him into the billionaire ranks shortly thereafter. In just one year, Drahi’s fortune has increased by $9.7 billion, making him the 57th richest person in the world. He plans to spend nearly $22 billion to acquire five other businesses. |
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6. Lei Jun (China) Chairman, founder and CEO of Xiaomi Assets increased: 9.2 billion USD Total assets: 13.2 billion USD In addition to Jack Ma, Xiaomi boss Lei Jun also had a successful year when his assets increased by 9.2 billion USD, thanks to the phone company being valued at 45 billion USD in a capital raising round in December. |
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7. Wang Jianlin (China) Chairman and CEO of Wanda Group Assets increased: 9.1 billion USD Total assets: 24.2 billion USD Real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin also made the list. In September, Wang lost the title of China’s richest man to Jack Ma. He regained the title after the IPO of his real estate company Dalian Wanda in December. |
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8. Dilip Shanghvi (India) Founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals Assets increased: 7.2 billion USD Total assets: 20 billion USD |
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9. Forrest E. Mars (USA) Member of the Board of Directors of Mars Candy Company Assets increased: 6.6 billion USD Total assets: 26.6 billion USD |
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9. Jacqueline Mars (USA) Member of the Board of Directors of Mars Candy Company Assets increased: 6.6 billion USD Total assets: 26.6 billion USD |
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9. John Mars (USA) Member of the Board of Directors of Mars Candy Company Assets increased: 6.6 billion USD Total assets: 26.6 billion USD |
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10. Larry Ellison (USA) Chairman, CTO and Founder of Oracle Assets increased: 6.3 billion USD Total assets: 54.3 billion USD Rounding out this year's top 10 is Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison. The company's stock only increased by $6.3 billion 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
