Related: Elon Musk declared world’s richest person as net worth of wealthy slips to $12.7tn
Gary Wang, co-founder and chief technology officer of Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been crowned the world’s richest billionaire under the age of 30 with a net worth of $5.9 billion, according to Forbes’ 2022 World Billionaires List.
This year’s list, which used stock prices and exchange rates from March 11 to calculate the personal fortunes of the world’s richest people, features 12 billionaires aged under 30 who have a combined net worth of $25.8bn. Seven of them are self-made, four dropped out of college and one is a teenager.
“Clinching the title of the world’s youngest billionaire for the second year running is 19-year-old Kevin David Lehmann, worth an estimated $2.4bn,” Forbes said in its annual report.
“The list’s only teenager inherited a 50 per cent stake in German drugstore chain dm-drogerie markt from his father, an early investor in the business, but neither are involved in its daily operations.”
On Wednesday, Forbes declared Elon Musk, the founder and chief executive of electric car maker Tesla, the world’s richest person with a net worth of $219bn.
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index also named Mr Musk the world’s richest person at the end of 2021, estimating his personal fortune at $273.5bn. Mr Musk was this week appointed to Twitter's board after emerging as the biggest single shareholder in the microblogging platform on Monday.
The Russia-Ukraine crisis, Covid-19 pandemic and volatile stock markets have taken a toll on the combined wealth of the world’s richest people. It slipped 3 per cent to $12.7 trillion over the past year, from a record $13.1tn in 2021.
There are 2,668 billionaires in the world, down from an all-time high of 2,755 last year. The top 12 under 30 list represents less than 0.5 per cent of the world’s billionaires, Forbes said.
“It’s been a mixed year overall for this elite [under 30] cohort,” Forbes said.
“While there are two more billionaires under 30 this year than in 2021, this group is collectively worth $3.7bn less than last year’s group, due in large part to choppy equity markets and [FTX co-founder] Sam Bankman-Fried’s graduation from the under-30 ranks.”
Coming in at number 2 on the under-30 list is Norway’s fishing farm heir Gustav Magnar Witzoe, 28, with a net worth of $4.5bn, followed by Mr Lehmann in third place.
In fourth place with a $2bn fortune is Ryan Breslow, 27, who dropped out of Stanford University to launch payment software company Bolt. Completing the top five is Austin Russell, 27, founder and chief executive of automotive sensor company Luminar Technologies, with a net worth of $1.6bn.
Only two women featured on this year’s list. Norwegian sisters Alexandra and Katharina Andresen, who were ranked in ninth and 10th place, respectively, each have a personal fortune of $1.3bn.
The world's top 12 richest people under 30 and their net worth
- Gary Wang: $5.9bn
- Gustav Magnar Witzoe: $4.5bn
- Kevin David Lehmann: $2.4bn
- Ryan Breslow: $2bn
- Austin Russell: $1.6bn
- Pedro Franceschi: $1.5bn
- Wang Zelong: $1.5bn
- Henrique Dubugras: $1.5bn
- Alexandra Andresen: $1.3bn
- Katharina Andresen: $1.3bn
- Stanley Tang: $1.2bn
- Andy Fang: $1.1bn
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Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
The President's Cake
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Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
