Five Taiwanese entrepreneurs or families have been included in this year's list of the world's billionaires released on Thursday by Forbes magazine.
As emerging stock markets surged during the past year, the number of billionaires around the world rose by 102 to a record 793, and their combined wealth grew 18 percent to US$2.6 trillion.
Of the five Taiwanese on the list, Formosa Plastics Group chairman Wang Yung-ching (王永慶) ranks 107th with a net worth of US$5.4 billion; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) ranks 147th with a net worth of US$4.3 billion; Fubon Group chairman Tsai Wan-tsai (蔡萬才) and family rank 207th with a net worth of US$3.3 billion; VIA Technologies Inc chairwoman Cher Wang (王雪紅) and her husband, the company's president Chen Wen-chi (陳文琦), rank 365th with a net worth of US$2.1 billion; and Quanta Computer Inc chairman Barry Lam (林百里) ranks 486th with a net worth of US$1.6 billion.
A total of 115 billionaires are from the Asia-Pacific region, with Japan having the largest number at 28.
While there are 17 billionaires from Hong Kong, the number of billionaires from China has increased from only two last year to eight this year.
Forbes editor Luisa Kroll said that Russia's stock market had jumped 108 percent between February last year and the same month of this year, while India's market rose by more than 54 percent during the same period. Brazil "was another bright star" with a market gain of 38 percent, she said.
Kroll said that the changes on the list had not been driven by US investments.
"The more exciting story is these emerging markets," she said. "The US stock market was quite a laggard with only a 1 percent increase."
The growth in emerging markets also meant that the Czech Republic placed a billionaire on the list for the first time: Petr Kellner, who debuted at No. 224 with US$3 billion.
Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates was again the world's richest man for the 12th year running. Gates grew wealthier, with his net worth rising to US$50 billion from US$46.5 billion. Investor Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, again ranked second; his fortune fell by US$2 billion to US$42 billion.
The rest of the top 10 underwent a major reshuffling, with three familiar names dropping out of that select group: German supermarket company owner Karl Albrecht, Oracle Corp's Lawrence Ellison and Wal-Mart chairman S. Robson Walton.
Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu moved up one notch to No. 3 with US$30 billion, replacing Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who fell one place to No. 5 with US$23.5 billion.
Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad of Sweden rose two slots to No. 4 with US$28 billion.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen edged up to sixth place from No. 7, with a net worth of US$22 billion.
He was followed by France's Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH and The Christian Dior Group, with US$21.5 billion; Arnault was new to the top 10.
Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud fell to eighth place from No. 5, with US$20 billion; and Canadian publisher Kenneth Thomson and his family moved into the top 10, ranking No. 9 with US$19.6 billion.
Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing (李嘉誠) rose to No. 10 with US$18.8 billion. Li is the chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd (長江實業) and Hutchinson Whampoa Ltd (和記黃埔).
The Walton family, which has dominated the upper echelons of the Forbes list in recent years, tumbled in this year's ranking as stock in the world's largest retailer dropped more than 10 percent in the past year.
S. Robson Walton, known as Rob, who last year ranked 10th, fell to 19th with US$15.8 billion. Christy Walton and Jim Walton tied for 17th with US$15.9 billion each, while Alice Walton followed Rob Walton at US$15.7 billion. Helen Walton, mother of the clan, did not make it into the top 20, landing at No. 21 with US$15.6 billion.
Investors in new industry sectors popped up on this year's list, most notably those with holdings in alternative energy and online gaming.
Australian Shi Zhengrong (
PEACE AT LAST? UN experts had warned of threats and attacks ahead of the voting, but after a turbulent period, Bangladesh has seemingly reacted to the result with calm The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday celebrated a landslide victory in the first elections held since a deadly 2024 uprising, with party leader Tarique Rahman to become prime minister. Bangladesh Election Commission figures showed that the BNP alliance had won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Islamist-led Jamaat-e-Islami alliance. The US embassy congratulated Rahman and the BNP for a “historic victory,” while India praised Rahman’s “decisive win” in a significant step after recent rocky relations with Bangladesh. China and Pakistan, which grew closer to Bangladesh since the uprising and the souring of ties with India, where ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina
FAST-TRACK: The deal is to be sent to the legislature, but time is of the essence, as Trump had raised tariffs on Seoul when it failed to quickly ratify a similar pact Taiwan and the US on Thursday signed a trade agreement that caps US tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15 percent and provides preferential market access for US industrial and agricultural exports, including cars, and beef and pork products. The Taiwan-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade confirms a 15 percent US tariff for Taiwanese goods, and grants Taiwanese semiconductors and related products the most-favorable-treatment under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, the Executive Yuan said. In addition, 2,072 items — representing nearly 20 percent of Taiwan’s total exports to the US — would be exempt from additional tariffs and be subject only to
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday approved a special pardon exempting a woman in her 80s convicted of killing her disabled son from imprisonment. After carefully reviewing the case, Lai pardoned Lin Liu Lung-tzu (林劉龍子) from the prison sentence while acknowledging her conviction, citing the extreme circumstances she faced, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. Under Article 3 of the Amnesty Act (赦免法), the two kinds of pardons are exempting an offender from the execution of a punishment or declaring the punishment to be invalid. Kuo said Lin Liu had spent more than 50 years caring for her son, before
HOLIDAY RUSH: Airport passenger volume is expected to reach a new high, while southbound road traffic would likely peak from Tuesday As Lunar New Year travelers flock overseas, passenger traffic at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is expected to shatter records, as Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC, 桃園國際機場), Taiwan’s largest aviation hub operator, projected yesterday’s passenger volume to climb to 167,000. The figure comes after a record single-day high of 161,000 passengers on Thursday, and would surpass the previous pre-COVID-19 pandemic Lunar New Year peak of 166,000 passengers in 2019, TIAC said. Long lines could be seen forming as early as 7am yesterday, filling Terminal 1 of the airport almost to capacity, yet security checks took only 10 to 15 minutes. TIAC urged
RSS