The death of Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum has broken Hong Kong's stranglehold as the home of Asia's richest man and woman.
Together with tycoon Li Ka-shing, who transformed a plastic flower-making business into a global conglomerate, Wang dominated the rich lists regularly compiled by Forbes for years.
However, her death now shines a spotlight on India for successors. According to the Forbes 2007 list of billionaires, Indu Jain, 70, is the candidate next in line for the title of Asia's wealthiest woman. Forbes ranked her at No35 in the region and 287 on the world list, with assets worth about US$3 billion, far behind Wang's estimated US$4.2 billion empire.
Ms Jain, widowed with two sons, is the chairman of Bennett, Coleman & Company, India's biggest media group and publisher of the English-language daily The Times of India.
Forbes already ranks Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal as the region's top billionaire. Crowning Ms Jain as his female counterpart effectively gives India the monopoly over the region's wealthiest.
Behind Ms Jain on the list is Cheung Yan, 49, who was catapulted into the spotlight after the March 2006 listing of her Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings), the mainland's leading maker of containerboard.
Forbes ranked her 20 places behind Ms Jain on the regional list and No390 in the world with assets of about US$2.4 billion. However, the share price of Nine Dragons has since surged on strong earnings, helping her amass a fortune of about US$3.4 billion, according to the Hurun Report, which compiles the China Rich List. This would put her next in line for the title of Asia's wealthiest woman if Ms Jain's assets do not grow as much.