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Billionaires in the Gulf are on the rise

Jan 3, 2025, 7:45am EST
gulfMiddle East
Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in 2018.
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in 2018. Faisal Al Nasser/Reuters.
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It’s been a good year for the Gulf’s wealthiest — markets lifted the net worth of billionaires while IPOs have created new ones.

The UAE’s Abdulla Al Ghurair, whose fortune climbed 36% to $9.1 billion, saw the biggest growth in his wealth, driven by gains in Mashreq Bank and National Cement, according to Al Eqtisadiah.

In Saudi Arabia, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal added $1 billion to his fortune. Meanwhile, massive demand for new stocks elevated health care executives Ammar and Mazen Fakeeh and media mogul Waleed Al Ibrahim to billionaire status. Saudi IPOs raised $4.1 billion across 16 listings in 2024, and the exchange expects a busy pipeline for 2025.

A chart showing the net worth of different Gulf billionaires.

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