Who are the 10 new Asian billionaires hot on the heels of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and others in the 3 comma club?
Billionaires from China, Hong Kong, The Philippines, India, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam are giving the big names a run for their money
The world’s wealthiest are diversifying, and many more in the East are being included. While the upper echelons of the world’s richest mainly revolve around the same names – Bezos, Gates, Buffett, Zuckerberg – there are a number of new names that have joined the list this year. To get you up to speed, here are just some of the notable figures who have joined the three comma club in 2019.
1. Eric Tse (Hong Kong)
Net worth: US$3.8 billion
When it comes to riches, some people have all the luck. Hong Kong scion Eric Tse is one such fortunate man after he had inherited 21.45 per cent of Sino Biopharmaceutical, the company that his father had founded. This more than generous present from his parents cements the young Tse with a net worth of US$3.8 billion at the tender age of 24. He was also named the company’s next executive director, which gives him an annual salary of US$498,000.
2. Sy Siblings (Philippines)
Net worth: US$17.2 billion
There’s been a major shift in wealth in the Philippines after a number of Filipino tycoons died in the last year, leaving the vast majority of their empires to the new guard. There’s no family as notable as the Sys, however. Entering the list as a group, Henry Sy Sr.’s children, Teresita, Elizabeth, Henry Jnr, Hans, Herbert, and Harley are collectively worth more than US$17 billion thanks to their father’s hefty inheritance. The Sy patriarch, a self-made man who founded the SM malls, later expanded his portfolio to include banking, investments and real estate.