ILLUSTRATION BY KEVIN MCGIVERN FOR FORBES
From left to right of the image, Magic Johnson, Christian Louboutin and Taylor Swift
O world of billionaires is on the rise, with Forbes finding a record 2,781 of them this year, with a record total value of US$14.2 trillion (R$71.8 trillion). With many bull markets, the increase in wealth has caused 265 people to become billionaires last year, an increase from 150 new billionaires in 2023.
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These new faces include a fashion legenda member of the NBA Hall of Fame is pop star very famous. They collectively command US$510 billion (R$2.58 billion) in wealth, or US$1.9 billion (R$9.6 billion) on average, and originate from 32 countries.
Once again the United States leads the pack, with 67 Americans joining the ranks. The richest among them is Todd Graves, the founder of the fast-food chain Raising Cane’s, whose fortune is estimated at US$9.1 billion (R$46 billion). China maintains second place, almost doubling its number of new billionaires from last year to 31.
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You Richer are Maggie Gu, Molly Miao and Ren Xiaoqing (each worth an estimated US$4.2 billion, or R$21.3 billion), who co-founded Gen Z fast fashion giant Shein. Meanwhile, India has added 25 billionaires, including Renuka Jagtiani, with $4.8 billion, the chief executive of e-commerce conglomerate Landmark Group, founded by her late husband Micky Jagtiani, who died in May 2023.
O new richest billionaire of all is Andrea Pignataro, from Italy. A former bond trader at Salomon Brothers, he launched London-based financial software company ION Group in 1999 and expanded it through acquisitions, becoming a major competitor to Bloomberg LP and FactSet. Pignataro, 53, has an estimated fortune of US$27.5 billion (R$139 billion), thanks to the ION Group and other investments that include the 520-hectare Canouan Estate, an expansive collection of luxury villas and hotels in the Caribbean paradise of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
To the richest women Joining the ranks this year are Sofia Högberg Schörling and her sister Märta Schörling Andreen. The two daughters of Swedish investment tycoon Melker Schörling, who passed away at the end of 2023, have estimated net worths of US$5.6 billion (R$28.3 billion) each. They are among the 46 women who became billionaires in the last year.
The most famous new member is, of course, Taylor Swift, whose world tour The Eras Tour, across five continents and record sales, is the first to surpass US$1 billion (R$5.06 billion) in revenue. The 34-year-old pop star has amassed a fortune estimated at US$1.1 billion (R$5.57 billion), based on tour earnings, the value of her music catalog and her real estate portfolio. Swift is the first singer to achieve 10-figure status exclusively through her songs and performances.
A NBA legend and entrepreneur Earvin “Magic” Johnson is also new this year, with an estimated net worth of US$1.2 billion (R$6.07 billion), thanks to investments in professional sports teams, movie theaters, Starbucks franchises, real estate and health care. And French designer Christian Louboutin, the man behind the iconic red-soled high heels, joins the ranks with an estimated fortune of US$1.2 billion (R$6.07 billion).
At 19 years old, the Brazilian Livia Voigt is not only this year’s youngest newcomer, but also the youngest billionaire in the world. (Previously, the youngest was Clement Del Vecchio, heir to the Italian eyewear brand, who is just two months older.) Livia and her older sister, Dora Voigt of Assisi, each inherited a $1 fortune, 1 billion (R$5.57 billion) based on his stakes in turbine manufacturer WEG, which was co-founded by his grandfather, the late Werner Ricardo Voigt (died in 2016).
More than half of this year’s newcomers are self-made billionaires, meaning they founded the companies that made them rich rather than inheriting their fortunes. The youngest of the self-taught newcomers is Shunsaku Sagami of Japan, founder of the Tokyo-based consulting firm M&A Research Institute, which uses artificial intelligence to find buyers for companies. The 33-year-old, a graduate of Kobe University, is now worth an estimated US$1.9 billion (R$9.6 billion).
The manufacturing sector is the most prominent route to new wealth this year, with 46 new billionaires, including Anil Gupta of India, chairman of KEI Industries, a Delhi-based company he inherited from his father and expanded to become a manufacturer of stainless steel wires and power cables. The Luxembourg-listed company exports to more than 55 countries. Another new face in manufacturing is Nicholas Howley, who co-founded aircraft parts maker TransDigm, which went public in 2006. His formula: acquire companies that are the only ones making certain plane parts, then raise prices . Howley is worth an estimated US$1.1 billion (R$5.57 billion).
O technology sector represents 38 new entrants, the second most behind manufacturing. High demand for computer chips and increased interest in generative artificial intelligence have helped boost shares of IT infrastructure company Super Micro Computer, making its co-founder and CEO Charles Liang the technology sector’s new richest with net worth estimated at US$6.1 billion (R$30.87 billion). Turkey’s Haluk Bayraktar built a fortune of US$1.1 billion (R$5.57 billion) as CEO of military drone manufacturer Baykar Defense. His brother Selçuk, who runs the company with him and who is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, is also a new billionaire. His most famous product, the Bayraktar, was used so successfully by Ukrainian troops that it inspired a popular song.
Among the 37 new billionaires with fortunes in finance and investments are: Seth Boro, Scott Crabill and Holden Spaht, all managing partners of the private equity firm Thoma Bravo, who have an estimated net worth of US$3.3 billion (R$16.7 billion) each . As bitcoin surges, cryptocurrency industry newcomers include Italy’s Giancarlo Devasini, a former plastic surgeon behind Tether, known for issuing USDT, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency stablecoin. Forbes estimates that Devasini has a net worth of US$9.2 billion (R$46.5 billion). Three other Bitfinex executives, Stuart Hoegner (with an estimated net worth of US$2.5 billion or R$12.65 billion), Jean-Louis van der Velde and Paolo Ardoino also join the ranks, both with US$3, 9 billion (R$ 19.7 billion).
