NEW DELHI — Billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani has become Asia’s richest individual, surpassing Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Adani’s net worth rose to $92.6 billion, placing him 19th globally, while Ambani slipped to 20th with a fortune of $90.8 billion.
The shift at the top reflects continued volatility in global wealth rankings in 2026, driven by market fluctuations and geopolitical uncertainty.
Adani’s rise was fueled by a strong rally in Adani Group stocks, which outperformed broader markets during Thursday’s trading session. The gains added approximately $3.56 billion to his net worth in a single day.
Globally, Tesla CEO Elon Musk remains the world’s richest person with a net worth of $656 billion, followed by Google co-founder Larry Page at $286 billion.
Other names in the global top 10 include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Dell Technologies’ Michael Dell, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and LVMH chief Bernard Arnault.
Despite gains at the top, several billionaires have seen their wealth decline this year. Seven of the world’s 20 richest individuals have recorded losses so far in 2026, with Arnault experiencing the steepest drop, losing about $44 billion.
Others who have seen notable declines include Steve Ballmer, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Amancio Ortega.
A sectoral breakdown of the rankings shows technology entrepreneurs continue to dominate the global rich list, while wealth tied to industrials, energy, and retail sectors has been more volatile.
Among other Indian billionaires, Lakshmi Mittal ranked 62nd globally with a net worth of $36.9 billion, followed by HCL founder Shiv Nadar at 70th with $33.5 billion.
Shapoor Mistry and family ranked 71st with $33.2 billion, while Savitri Jindal, chairperson emeritus of the OP Jindal Group, was placed 73rd with $32.7 billion.
Other prominent Indian names on the list include Sunil Mittal and family, Azim Premji, Kumar Mangalam Birla, and Radhakishan Damani.
Shares of Adani Group companies, including Adani Total Gas, Adani Ports, and Adani Power, rose by up to 3 percent during intraday trading Friday, supporting the surge in Adani’s wealth. (Source: IANS)
