KUALA LUMPUR: The most recent list of Asia’s wealthiest billionaires was just published by Recently. It comes as no surprise that Indian business magnate Mukesh Ambani, with an astounding net worth of US$110.4 billion, is at the top of the list.
Ambani, the richest man in Asia, is 66 years old and serves as the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries in India.Even though Ambani has a varied income, the telecom and broadband services he provides through Jio and Reliance enable the company to grow.
In addition, in July of last year, BlackRock and Jio Financial Services announced that they would collaborate to establish Jio BlackRock, a joint venture that will offer sophisticated financial options to Indian investors.
Ambani is also the proud owner of the Mumbai Indians, an Indian cricket franchise that he bought in 2008.Together with Ambani, Gautam Adani, 61, is also an Indian national; he ranked second with a net worth of $77.3 billion.
Adani is the leader of the US$81 billion Adani Group, which includes energy, ports, airports, and green projects. Adani is the leading airport operator in India and the manager of the vital Mundra Port in Gujarat.
After he swiftly acquired Holcim’s Indian operations in 2022, he became India’s second-largest cement maker.
Crossing the Himalayas and entering China, meet Zhong Shanshan, the man behind Nongfu Spring, the most prosperous bottled water company in the nation.
Zhong, a self-made billionaire with a net worth of US$67.3 billion, is ranked third. One of the wealthiest Chinese nationals, Zhong began his career in construction before advancing to sales of beverages, media, and eventually entrepreneurship.
At Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy, the business that creates the quick diagnostic tests for Covid-19, he is a key decision-maker.
With an astonishing net worth of US$62.3 billion, Zhong retained his position as China’s richest person, having done so for the previous year.
Another well-known person on the list is Li Ka-Shing of Hong Kong. The self-made billionaire is ranked eighth on the list with a net worth of US$37.9 billion, valued at 95.
Among the wealthiest individuals in Asia, Li started his career at the age of 21 in 1950 when he founded Cheung Kong Plastics with US$6,500 in savings and loans from family members.
In addition, he is internationally renowned for his charity, having contributed more than US$3.8 billion to numerous organisations through his Li Ka Shing Foundation
According to Forbes, the richest persons in Asia in 2024 are as follows, along with their net worth:
- Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani ($110.4 billion)
- India’s Gautam Adani – $77.3 billion
- Chinese company Zhong Shanshan — US$67.3 billion
- Prajogo Pangestu – a $62.2 billion project in Indonesia
- China’s Colin Zheng Huang, worth US$48 billion
- China’s Zhang Yiming, worth $43.4 billion USD
- Ma Huateng ($40.7 billion) in China
- Hong Kong’s Li Ka-Shing, worth US$37.9 billion
- Tadashi Yanai and family, a US$37.9 billion family from Japan
- The Indian Savitri Jindal family is worth US$35.1 billion.
