Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos attends an Action on Forests and Land Use session, during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. AFP
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos attends an Action on Forests and Land Use session, during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. AFP
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos attends an Action on Forests and Land Use session, during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. AFP
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos attends an Action on Forests and Land Use session, during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. AFP

Jeff Bezos loses $20.5bn to drop to third place on Forbes' wealthy list


Deepthi Nair
  • English
  • Arabic

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos slipped to third place in the Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires List with his net worth dropping to $150.1 billion driven by a rout in Amazon shares.

The billionaire saw $20.5bn of his wealth melt away after the e-commerce company's results left investors disappointed. This placed Bernard Arnault, chairman of French luxury group LVMH, in second place with a personal fortune of $157.7bn, according to Forbes.

In contrast to the Forbes' list, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index named Mr Bezos the world's second richest person with a net worth of $148bn. At his peak this year, the Amazon founder enjoyed a net worth of more than $210bn.

Amazon shares were down 14 per cent on Friday after it reported its first quarterly loss in seven years and the slowest sales growth since 2001 as the largest online retailer struggles to build off the major gains it made early in the pandemic.

The company has been grappling with rising energy, a surge in inflation that may hold back sales, and labour costs, as well as changing shopping habits as people return to pre-pandemic activities.

Mr Bezos, 58, is now the third-biggest wealth loser this year, with his fortune dropping nearly $44bn since January 1, Bloomberg reported.

Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of electric vehicle maker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, is the world's richest person with a net worth of $246bn, the Forbes data showed.

Mr Musk, who struck a deal to acquire Twitter for $44bn, has sold about $8.5bn worth of Tesla shares in an apparent move to begin funding his buyout of the microblogging platform.

He offloaded about 9.6 million shares of the electric vehicle maker this week, according to regulatory filings made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The billionaire personally guaranteed $21bn of the equity portion of his acquisition of Twitter, which was announced on April 25. A further $12.5bn of the Twitter deal is secured by his stake in Tesla. The transaction is expected to be finalised in 2022.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is the world's fourth-richest person, with a net worth of $129.4bn, according to Forbes. He is followed by self-made billionaire Gautam Adani, with a personal fortune of $125.9bn, Forbes data showed.

The Adani Group chairman edged out Warren Buffet, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, on Monday to join the top five billionaires club for the first time, the rich list showed.

In February, Mr Adani, 59, was named the wealthiest person in Asia, with a net worth of $88.5bn and ranked as the 10th-richest person in the world at the time, Bloomberg reported.

Mr Adani is one of the world's biggest wealth-gainers this year, adding more than $40bn to his fortune as shares of his listed companies skyrocketed, according to Forbes.

Mr Buffett, known as the "Oracle of Omaha", has a net worth of $116.6bn.

Top 10 richest people in the world

  • Top 10 richest people in the world: 1. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk - $246bn. AFP
    Top 10 richest people in the world: 1. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk - $246bn. AFP
  • 2. Head of French luxury goods maker LVMH Bernard Arnault - $157.7bn. AFP
    2. Head of French luxury goods maker LVMH Bernard Arnault - $157.7bn. AFP
  • 3. Jeff Bezos of Amazon - $150.1bn. Getty
    3. Jeff Bezos of Amazon - $150.1bn. Getty
  • 4. Microsoft founder Bill Gates - $129.4bn. AFP
    4. Microsoft founder Bill Gates - $129.4bn. AFP
  • 5. Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani - $125.9bn. Reuters
    5. Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani - $125.9bn. Reuters
  • 6. Chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett - $116.6bn. AFP
    6. Chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett - $116.6bn. AFP
  • 7. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani - $105.4bn. Reuters
    7. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani - $105.4bn. Reuters
  • 8. Businessman Larry Ellison - $102.5bn. Reuters
    8. Businessman Larry Ellison - $102.5bn. Reuters
  • 9. Larry Page, co-founder of Google/Alphabet - $98.5bn. Reuters
    9. Larry Page, co-founder of Google/Alphabet - $98.5bn. Reuters
  • 10. Co-founder of Google/Alphabet Sergey Brin - $94.7bn. Reuters
    10. Co-founder of Google/Alphabet Sergey Brin - $94.7bn. Reuters

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is the world's seventh-richest person, with a net worth of $105.4bn, according to the real-time Forbes index.

The world’s 500 richest people lost a total of more than $54bn on Friday amid the broader market rout, according to the Bloomberg index.

In total, there are 2,668 billionaires in the world, down from a record of 2,755 in 2021, Forbes said in its annual 2022 World Billionaires List. The list was released last month and used stock prices and exchange rates from March 11 to calculate the net worth of the world’s richest people.

“In all, 329 people fell off the billionaires list this year — the most since the 2009 financial crisis,” Forbes said at the time.

“The United States still has more billionaires than any other country, with 735, up from 724 last year,” it added. “China remains second, with 607, including Hong Kong and Macau, followed by India (166), Germany (134) and Russia (83).”

Meanwhile, the combined net worth of the world’s richest people slipped 3 per cent to $12.7 trillion over the past year, from a record $13.1tn in 2021. This was driven by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Covid-19 pandemic and volatile stock markets, Forbes said in the annual report.

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Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
How to apply for a drone permit
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What are the regulations?
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Famous left-handers

- Marie Curie

- Jimi Hendrix

- Leonardo Di Vinci

- David Bowie

- Paul McCartney

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- Jack the Ripper

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Recipe

Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.

Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.

Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking,  remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.

Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.

 

The bio

Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions

School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira

Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk

Dream City: San Francisco

Hometown: Dubai

City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala

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Panipat

Director Ashutosh Gowariker

Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment

Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman

Rating 3 /stars

Bio

Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro

THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

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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

Updated: April 30, 2022, 6:58 AM