How Luigi Berlusconi makes and spends his millions: former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi’s billionaire son inherited Fininvest shares from his dad, invests in start-ups and splurges on property
The life of former Italian prime minister and media boss Silvio Berlusconi was filled with business, politics, money – and controversy. And his moves paid off in a big way for his children.
His youngest, Luigi, was born in Switzerland in 1988, and was essentially raised in a boardroom. He joined the board of investment bank Mediolanum at the age of 19. He now sits on several other boards, and is worth an estimated US$1 billion.
Now married with two kids, Luigi is more national darling than playboy, with an expensive family home and charity foundation to boot.
Here’s a look at how Luigi Berlusconi makes and spends his fortune.
Luigi Berlusconi’s inheritance
When Silvio died in June 2023, his estimated US$6.8 billion fortune was split among his five children.
While the lion’s share went to older siblings Marina and Pier Silvio, according to Forbes, Luigi received 15.6 per cent of Silvio’s investment arm Fininvest. He also got a share of investments in several villas and homes in Italy, France and Antigua.
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Luigi walked away with an estimated US$1 billion in inheritance, per the same publication.
Reuters also noted that Luigi, like his four siblings, agreed to not alter his shares in Fininvest for at least five years, which means his fortune from the company is likely to remain steady until 2028.
His businesses and investments
His inheritance only added to an already impressive business portfolio. According to Fininvest’s list of directors, the economics and finance graduate from Bocconi University in Milan was on the board of Mediolanum from 2007, serving for several years before leaving.
He was trained in finance at JP Morgan in London, an experience that helped him in several future roles.
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“An internship in London in an investment bank opened my eyes to the future – TV [media] doesn’t interest me,” he said, per Il Sole 24 Ore Italia.
He has been a board member, managing director and president of several investment and management companies since 2012, including Holding Italiana Quattordicesima, MolMed and Mediolanum. That same year, he was appointed to the board of directors of Fininvest.
Luigi is reportedly a keen investor in start-up businesses, including through Holding Italiana Quattordicesima and the investment company H14, where he is chairman of the board and holds a 33 per cent stake with two of his siblings.
Through H14, he has put money into German pharmaceutical auditing firm Qualifyze, Italian app developer and tech company Bending Spoons, German fintech company Trade Republic, payment platform Tradeshift, and French online driving school service Ornikar.
In 2019, Luigi’s shares in H14 were worth over US$100 million, reported Corriere. And he reportedly made at least US$5.4 million in dividends from the two investment companies in 2023, noted Italian news agency Milano Finanza.
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His impressive property portfolio
Beyond investing in companies, Luigi has a keen interest in property.
Corriere reported in 2019 that Luigi bought the Villa Borletti home in Milan previously owned by his father for US$10.8 million. The three-storey villa has several bedrooms, a sprawling garden and an outdoor swimming pool.
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Italian news publication Il Mattino estimated in 2023 that the villa was worth around US$26.1 million and was being renovated further, which would push up its value.
Three years later, Luigi bought an apartment in the city near the iconic church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Although the selling price was never revealed, Calcio Finanza estimated it may have been around US$7.3 million, based on the value of a reported bank loan granted to Luigi.
The publication added that Luigi was paying around US$54,000 a month in mortgages for the two homes.
His charity work
According to Italian paper Il Foglio, Luigi has long been a devout Christian and has started a foundation to finance social projects, including those supporting children battling addiction and from underprivileged backgrounds.
“We are not authorised to reveal anything else,” a source said about the foundation, which is named Opsis after the Greek word for “look”, and often used in theatre to describe putting someone in a scene or making an appearance.
Vanity Fair Italy reported the foundation is active in social and charity work around the Lombardy region in the northern part of the country. News publication Vita Italy added the foundation was started in 2010 with around US$56,000, and is managed by Luigi and three friends.
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His political donations
Luigi also donated US$108,000 to the Forza Italia party in both 2022 and 2023, per Il Sole 24 Ore Italia. The political party was formed by his father in the early 1990s.
The Berlusconi family would continue to finance the party after the famous politician’s death, a source said: “The family intends to continue to support the party because of their affection for the political creature to whom Silvio Berlusconi dedicated the last 30 years of his life.”
- Born in Switzerland, Luigi Berlusconi trained in finance at JP Morgan, joined the board of investment bank Mediolanum at 19, and now sits on several boards
- Silvio Berlusconi’s US$6.8 billion fortune was split among his five children – and Luigi received 15.6 per cent of the businessman-politician’s investment arm Fininvest