Eduardo Saverin tops Forbes Singapore richest for 4th year
Eduardo Saverin tops Forbes’ Singapore’s 50 richest list for a fourth straight year in 2026, even after his fortune fell US$10.1 billion to US$32.9 billion. The Meta co-founder’s lead held as tech tycoons’ wealth slid, while Singapore’s top 50 collective net worth stayed flat at US$239 billion.
Key Takeaways
- Eduardo Saverin tops Forbes’ Singapore ranking for the fourth year despite a US$10.1 billion drop to US$32.9 billion.
- The city’s 50 richest held combined wealth steady at US$239 billion, with 35 listees richer than a year ago.
- Meta shares fell about 25% over the year as AI infrastructure costs weighed on second-quarter profits.
- Sea’s co-founders slid down the ranks after shares plunged nearly a third amid e-commerce competition.
- The Lee family was the biggest gainer, rising 78% to US$13.8 billion on OCBC’s surge.
Who leads Singapore’s richest list in 2026?
According to The Straits Times, Forbes’ 2026 list of Singapore’s 50 richest again placed Meta Platforms co-founder Eduardo Saverin in first place.
He kept the crown even as his estimated net worth declined by US$10.1 billion to US$32.9 billion. Forbes measured wealth using stock prices and exchange rates at the close of markets on Aug. 14, 2026.
The minimum net worth to make the list remained US$1 billion, unchanged from 2025. For more rankings coverage, see BlasterPost’s net worth and wealth hub.
Why did tech tycoons’ fortunes slide?
Shares of Facebook parent Meta Platforms fell 25% over the year. Meta’s second-quarter net profit dropped 14% even as revenue jumped 28%, with surging artificial intelligence infrastructure costs partly blamed.
Sea’s three co-founders also lost ground after shares of the US-listed company plunged by nearly a third from a year earlier. Intense competition from rivals such as TikTok Shop squeezed margins at its e-commerce arm, Shopee.
Sea chairman and CEO Forrest Li ranked 10th with US$7.7 billion, down from No. 6 in 2025 with US$11.2 billion. Chief operating officer Gang Ye was 14th at US$4.3 billion, while Shopee chief product officer David Chen fell to 44th with US$1.35 billion.
Who else ranked near the top of the Forbes list?
Real estate magnate Kwek Leng Beng and his family remained second after adding US$1.8 billion to lift their fortune to US$16.1 billion. Property brothers Robert and Philip Ng held third place, with combined wealth rising to US$14.3 billion from US$14.1 billion in 2025.
The Lee family was the biggest gainer in both dollar and percentage terms, with net worth rising 78% to US$13.8 billion in fourth place. Much of that wealth comes from a stake in OCBC Bank, whose shares nearly doubled on strength in wealth management.
The Goh family of Nippon Paint Holdings rounded out the top five at US$13.5 billion, up from US$13.1 billion. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong leads regional billionaire rankings at about US$36.5 billion, according to VnExpress citing Forbes real-time data.
What kept Singapore’s top 50 wealth flat?
Gains outside tech offset the slide among digital founders. Sheng Siong Group co-founder and CEO Lim Hock Chee ranked 24th at US$2.7 billion after shares of Singapore’s second-largest supermarket chain by revenue surged 54% amid store expansion.
Quek Leng Chye was the sole newcomer, ranking 48th with US$1.2 billion. Gordon and Celine Tang returned at 49th with US$1.1 billion after Suntec REIT shares rose about 20%, while Charles & Keith’s Wong brothers closed the list at 50th with a combined US$1 billion.