Forbes have announced the winners of their annual Rich List.
Forbes, the American business magazine, is known for their annual rich list. The rankings list the top billionaires from across the world. For this year, Forbes recorded at 13 percent increase in the number of billionaires stating the biggest hike in their 31 year history of the Rich List.
Unsurprisingly Bill Gates, the man behind technology giant Microsoft, tops the charts. Holding this position for the fourth consecutive year, Gates’ total wealth is estimated to be at USD 86 billion. Not far behind Gates is Warren Buffet with USD 75.6 billion.
Other big names in the top ten are Jeff Bezos, the founder of online retailer Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg, the brains behind Facebook, and Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle. The list is not to rosy for President Donald Trump who moved down 200 places this year. The slowdown of his Manhattan property portfolio cited as a potential reason for this.
Thailand’s billionaires.
Americans do make up the most billionaires having 565. However Thailand does have its fair share too. Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi has a net worth of USD 15.9 billion. Coming in at 62nd place, Khun Sirivadhanabhakdi is the man behind Thai Beverage who are responsible for Chang beer and Sang Som rum. Other assets include property firm TCC Land, Fraser & Neave, a Singapore beverage firm, and the supermarket Big C. This ranking comes along way from his humble beginnings as a son of a street vendor from the streets of Bangkok.
Next for Thailand is Dhanin Chearavanont at 132nd position. Khun Chearavanont wealth of USD 9.8 billion is largely down to his agribusiness conglomerate. Starting out with his brother by supplying seeds to Thai farmers that were imported from China, today he now owns one of America’s largest frozen food firms.
Next in line is Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. With a wealth of USD 4.3 billion puts Khun Srivaddhanaprabha at position 414th. His wealth is the result of his duty-free chain King Power. The success of which has been boosted by the large number of Chinese tourists who are visiting Thailand and are known for their shopping sprees. He has gone on to buy a stake in Thai Air Asia and has also made a name for himself in the UK after buying Leicester City Football Club.