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Founders of Sea, Haidilao among 55 Singapore billionaires in Forbes’ latest list

This is up from 49 in the 2025 edition

Koh Kim Xuan

Published Wed, Mar 11, 2026 · 04:57 PM
    • Clockwise from top left: Jason Chang, Li Xiting, Phillip Ng, Robert Ng, Forrest Li and Zhang Yong. The six are among 55 billionaires in Singapore on Forbes' list.
    • Clockwise from top left: Jason Chang, Li Xiting, Phillip Ng, Robert Ng, Forrest Li and Zhang Yong. The six are among 55 billionaires in Singapore on Forbes' list. PHOTOS: FORBES, TEMASEK, BT FILE

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    [SINGAPORE] Fifty-five billionaires from Singapore made it in Forbes’ latest annual World’s Billionaires list released on Tuesday (Mar 10). (*see amendment note)

    They include those representing old money and first-generation entrepreneurs.

    The full list features a record-high 3,428 billionaires with a combined net worth of US$20.1 trillion, up from US$16.1 trillion in 2025. Twenty people – an all-time high – were reported to have 12-figure fortunes. 

    Elon Musk topped the list for the second year in a row. His net worth of an estimated US$839 billion – a half-trillion-dollar leap from a year earlier – makes him the richest person ever recorded.

    Musk is the first person to breach the US$800 billion mark. The surge in his net worth was due to the rise in value of automotive and energy company Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX; the latter is aiming to go public in 2026

    Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin rounded out the podium with their net worths of US$257 billion and US$237 billion, respectively. 

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    Amazon’s Jeff Bezos took fourth place with US$224 billion, followed by Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg in fifth place with US$222 billion. 

    US President Donald Trump was ranked 645th worldwide. His fortune rose 27 per cent to an estimated US$6.5 billion on account of cryptocurrency dealings and his US$500 million New York fraud penalty being thrown out

    The Singapore billionaires

    On the 2026 list are 55 billionaires from Singapore, up from 49 in the previous edition. 

    Jason Chang, chairman of Taiwan-based Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, took the top spot among Singapore’s billionaires. His net worth more than doubled to US$14.2 billion from US$6.6 billion a year earlier. Chang placed 204th on the list. 

    Following him is Li Xiting, co-founder and president of China’s largest medical equipment manufacturer, Mindray, with a net worth of US$11.2 billion. His wealth came on the back of ventilators sold by Mindray during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.

    Brothers Philip and Robert Ng came in third and fourth among Singapore’s billionaires, with fortunes of US$7.2 billion and US$7.1 billion, respectively. They control Far East Organization, Singapore’s largest private landlord and property developer. 

    Forrest Li, founder of consumer Internet company Sea, came in fifth with a net worth of US$6.8 billion. He was the second-richest billionaire in Singapore in 2025.

    Sea operates three core businesses: e-commerce site Shopee, digital entertainment company Garena and digital financial service provider SeaMoney. 

    Forrest Li is the founder of Internet company Sea. PHOTO: BT FILE

    Zhang Yong, chairman of Haidilao, came in sixth with US$6.7 billion. The hotpot chain operates more than 1,300 stores in 14 countries worldwide, with the majority in China. 

    Haidilao founder Zhang Yong is sixth among Singapore’s billionaires in the 2026 list. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

    Yong is followed by Jason Jiang, founder and CEO of Focus Media, a Shanghai-based outdoor advertising company that specialises in elevator media in offices, commercial and residential buildings. He has a reported net worth of US$4.7 billion.

    The eighth-richest person in Singapore is Ji Qi with US$4.2 billion. He has been the executive chairman of Chinese hotel operator H World since 2009.

    Kuok Khoon Hong, founder of palm oil producer Wilmar , came in ninth with a fortune of US$4.1 billion.

    The company reported increased earnings in FY2025, supported by growth in food product volumes, stable pricing conditions and continued product mix optimisation.

    April Goh, granddaughter of late paint tycoon Goh Cheng Liang, became Singapore’s 10th-wealthiest person after inheriting US$3.4 billion after her grandfather’s death. She has a net worth of US$4 billion and ranks 1,074th in the overall list.

    * Amendment note: A previous version of this article stated an incorrect number of billionaires from Singapore on Forbes’ list.

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