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Amid a decline in tech-related fortunes, the collective wealth of Singapore’s 50 richest remained at US$239 billion (HK$1.86 trillion) on the 2026 Forbes list, unchanged from last year, led by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin even as fortune slipped.
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Singapore's economy expanded 6.1 percent in the first half of 2026 on the back of artificial intelligence-driven demand for electronics and precision engineering, while 35 listees grew wealthier despite geopolitical and tech-sector headwinds.
Saverin, a longtime Singapore resident, claimed the number one spot for the fourth year in a row, despite losing US$10.1 billion in wealth to US$32.9 billion.
Notably, rising AI infrastructure costs have partly caused Facebook parent Meta Platforms’s net profit in the second quarter to fall 14 percent, despite a 28 percent jump in revenue. Its shares dipped 25 percent year on year following the result.
Real estate tycoon Kwek Leng Beng remains the second-richest after adding US$1.8 billion to his fortune, which he shares with his family, to US$16.1 billion. The family’s flagship City Developments has been offloading non-core assets while pivoting more toward residential and hospitality.
Siblings Robert and Philip Ng hold onto their position at third with a slight increase in their combined wealth to US$14.3 billion.
The Lee family lands at fourth with a combined net worth of US$13.8 billion. The bulk of its wealth comes from the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp, which increased its wealth by 78 percent. The bank’s shares also nearly doubled over the past year thanks to its buoyant wealth management business.
The Goh family of Nippon Paint rounded out the top five on the list, with their wealth rising to US$13.5 billion from US$13.1 billion a year earlier.
However, global consumer internet company Sea’s co-founders Forrest Li, Gang Ye, and David saw their wealth decline by US$5.85 billion in total amid intense competition from rivals such as TikTok Shop. Sea’s shares on the New York-listed tech heavyweight plunged by nearly a third from a year ago as margins in its e-commerce arm were squeezed.
Singaporean fashion and lifestyle brand Charles & Keith’s owners – Charles, Keith, and Kelvin – also known as the three Wong brothers, returned to number fifty with a total wealth of US$1 billion after a one-year absence.
Tap the link for details of the 2026 Forbes list of Singapore’s 50 Richest list: www.forbes.com/singapore
