Forbes’ annual world’s billionaires list includes a record-breaking 2,755 billionaires, with Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos topping it for the fourth consecutive year. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk jumped to the second spot on the list, up from 31st last year.
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani reclaimed the top spot in the Forbes list of India’s 10 richest billionaires with a net worth of $84.5 billion. Ambani was followed by Adani Group chief Gautam Adani and HCL founder Shiv Nadar. Put together, the three richest Indians added just over 100 billion dollars, as per Forbes.
Even with the Covid pandemic, the rich managed to expand their wealth. “The very, very rich got very, very richer,” said Forbes’ Chief Content Officer Randall Lane, in an interview.
Forbes also said that the total number of Indian billionaires rose to 140 this year from 102 last year and their combined wealth nearly doubled to 596 billion dollars.
Mukesh Ambani, who is also Asia’s richest person, diversified his oil and gas empire and dived into sectors such as telecom and retail, which resulted in him retaining the top position.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Ambani accomplished a fund-raising feat, garnering 35 billion dollars through a string of deals to achieve his target of reducing his flagship Reliance Industries’ net debt to zero by 2021.
Gautam Adani, an infrastructure tycoon, got $42 billion richer as shares of his companies Adani Enterprises and Adani Green Energy soared. Adani unseated Radhakishan Dhamani who was previously the second-richest Indian. Forbes said that Adani’s wealth increased five-fold since 2020.
Adani acquired a 74% stake in Mumbai International Airport, the country’s second-busiest, last September. He also sold 20% in his listed renewables firm, Adani Green Energy, to French energy giant Total for 2.5 billion dollars.
