Business
At $22.6 bn, Saudi prince is richest Arab
Abu Dhabi, April 7
Forbes Middle East has
released the names of the 100 richest Arab personalities in the world,
the first position going to Saudi ArabiaÂ’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al
Saud with an estimated fortune of $22.6 billion.
While Joseph
Safra occupies second spot with $17.3 billion, the top 10 this year
include members of the United Arab Enmirates' (UAE) Al Ghurair family
and EgyptÂ’s Mansour and Sawiris.
Despite plunging oil prices,
the worldÂ’s top 100 Arab tycoons have continued to build their
fortunes, amassing a combined wealth of $174.37 billion, an $8.3 billion
increase from 2014.
The number of billionaires has risen too -
49 feature this time around, four more than last year with shared wealth
of $155.1 billion, up $7.4 billion from the previous year.
The
full line-up of Forbes global billionaires, comprising a total of 1,826
names, accounts for an aggregate net worth of $7.05 trillion.
"Bill
Gates presides over the ranking this year, with $79.2 billion, up $3.2
billion from last year, a position he has held for 16 out of the past 21
years."