Taylor Swift performs at her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires. The singer has been ranked as the most streamed artist on Spotify's 2023 Wrapped list. AP
Taylor Swift performs at her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires. The singer has been ranked as the most streamed artist on Spotify's 2023 Wrapped list. AP
Taylor Swift performs at her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires. The singer has been ranked as the most streamed artist on Spotify's 2023 Wrapped list. AP
Celebrity Net Worth: Taylor Swift earns $131m from Spotify in 2023
In our fortnightly celebrity investment and wealth round-up, Max Verstappen becomes this year's highest paid F1 driver and Beyonce's concert movie takes $21 million at the US box office
Factor in publishing revenue and the billionaire singer's Spotify takings will total $131 million by the end of this month.
Swift’s music has had more than 26.1 billion global streams as of November 30 this year. With December’s figures, that number is expected to rise to 27.2 billion, Billboard calculated.
With streaming revenue from other platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube, that total could cross $160 million, while publishing revenue could see it hit the $200 million mark.
Swift, 33, is one of the world’s richest self-made women with a net worth of $1.1 billion, according to Bloomberg.
She entered the exclusive $1 billion club on the back of her 146-date Eras concert tour, which has shattered several records and sparked ticket frenzies. The Super Bowl-sized event is expected to be the highest-grossing tour of all time when it closes next year.
Taylor Swift's Eras tour – in pictures
Taylor Swift performs on stage at Lumen Field on July 22 in Seattle, Washington. Getty Images
Swift performs at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on July 28. Getty Images
Swift makes a heart gesture with her hands during night one of her six-night residency at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Getty Images
Swift performs with the band HAIM in Los Angeles. Getty Images
Swift performs on stage for the opening night of The Eras Tour at State Farm Stadium on March 17 in Glendale, Arizona. AFP
The city of Glendale was ceremonially renamed Swift City for March 17-18 in honour of The Eras Tour. AFP
Swift takes the stage at SoFi Stadium on August 3. Getty Images
Swift has put together sprawling set lists of more than 40 songs during her Eras Tour. AFP
Swift performs at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 31. AFP
Swift's tour is scheduled to run until November 2024. AFP
By then, the US leg of the tour alone could add $5.7 billion to the country’s economy, according to software company Question Pro. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia officials acknowledged as much in May, stating the tour had boosted tourism in the region.
The 12-time Grammy winner could earn as much as $4.1 billion from the tour, estimates based on her share of 85 per cent, The Washington Post reported.
Swift’s per-show take-home ranges between $10 million and $13 million, according to Forbes magazine estimates.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie has also taken $250 million in global ticket sales since it opened in October. The movie, the highest-grossing concert film in US history, cost $15 million to make.
She has more than 182 million in equivalent album sales. That includes digital and physical album sales, according to music industry database ChartMasters.org. The total makes her the biggest-selling artist under the age of 50.
Swift looks to real estate as a way of preserving her wealth. With eight homes, her property portfolio is worth upwards of $150 million, according to TheWall Street Journal.
She has four homes in New York City, including apartments in the West Village and Tribeca, a beach house in Rhode Island, a seven-bedroom home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, properties in Nashville, Tennessee, and an estate in Beverly Hills.
Swift also owns two Dassault private jets and has a notable car collection.
Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen is the sport's highest paid racer in 2023. EPA
Max Verstappen
Dutchman Max Verstappen has become the highest-paid Formula One driver of 2023 after winning his third straight championship, according to a new list by Forbes magazine.
The Red Bull Racing driver has earned $70 million on the back of a record 19 race victories this year.
The figure includes his $45 million salary and bonuses estimated at $25 million.
In May, Forbes calculated his off-track earnings at $4 million for the preceding 12 months.
Verstappen, 26, has a net worth of €150 million ($161.4 million), the Netherlands’ Quote 500 rich list revealed last month. He had a net worth of €120 million in 2022.
As a Monaco resident, he pays no tax on his income. Verstappen rents the $15.6 million penthouse he lives in and has few public investments.
In August, he announced plans to enter a team into the 2025 GT3 championship.
The move expands the Verstappen name outside of Formula One, in line with his interest in both digital and real-world racing projects. Other ventures could include rallying and virtual racing, according to the Verstappen.com website.
Verstappen purchased a $16 million Falcon-900EX private jet from Richard Branson in 2020, according to wealth-tracking website Celebrity Net Worth.
He also has a considerable car collection, including several Aston Martins. Among them is a limited-production $2.7 million Valkyrie.
Beyonce's new movie collected $21 million in US box-office sales during the opening weekend. Getty Images
Beyonce
Singer, fashion designer and businesswoman Beyonce has revitalised the post-Thanksgiving US box-office with her concert movie taking $21 million in North American ticket sales over its opening weekend, according to estimates from AMC Theatres.
The film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, was the first movie in 20 years to cross $20 million over the first weekend of December’s, AP reported.
Beyonce wrote, directed and produced the tour movie of her Grammy-winning album.
The 56-show tour spanned 39 cities this year, kicking off in Stockholm, Sweden, in May and closing in Kansas City, Missouri, in October.
With takings of $579.8 million, it attracted over 2.8 million fans, making it the year’s highest-grossing tour, according to Billboard Boxscore. The list does not feature Swift’s Eras tour, which closes in 2024.
Beyonce, 42, earned an estimated $145 million from the tour and has a total net worth of $540 million, Forbes reports.
Over the course of her nearly 30-year career, she has won a record 32 Grammy awards and sold more than 98 million albums in physical and digital sales, according to ChartMasters.org.
Outside music, she has a clothing line, Ivy Park, which ended its partnership with adidas in March. She launched a capsule couture collection with fashion house Balmain earlier this year.
In 2018, she signed a $60 million content deal with Netflix.
With her husband, rapper, producer and entrepreneur Jay-Z, she owns a large portfolio of real estate, including properties in New Orleans, the Hamptons and Bel Air in California, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In May, the couple reportedly paid $200 million for a mansion in Malibu, the most expensive in California history.
Paris Hilton has invested in Berlin-based artificial intelligence travel start-up Layla. Reuters
She joined a €3 million seed funding round for Berlin-based artificial intelligence travel start-up Layla at the end of November.
The company uses a chatbot, also called Layla, to recommend new travel destinations and make bookings – either via the web or using social media.
Layla was set up by Jeremy Jauncey, founder of travel agency Beautiful Destinations, and Saad Saeed, who co-launched European grocery delivery service Flink.
Other investors include Brent Hoberman, co-founder of lastminute.com and Firstminute Capital, Andy Phillips of Booking.com, Skyscanner co-founder Barry Smith and venture capital firm M13.
The terms of Hilton’s participation have not been disclosed.
The Paris in Love star, 42, has a net worth of $300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Often described as a “multi-hyphenate”, she has built a career as a model, actor, reality TV star, DJ and influencer. She has launched fashion and perfume lines, which have generated more than $4 billion in sales.
Through her company 11:11 Media, Hilton is also involved in a wide range of creative and technology ventures, including businesses in the digital, audio, film, television, licensing and metaverse space.
Hilton's investment in Layla is the latest in a line of technology start-ups that have attracted her attention this year.
In September, 11:11 Media joined Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, in a $54 million funding round in blockchain-based IP ownership network Story Protocol.
She has made at least 17 investments, according to investor information platform CB Insights, including cryptocurrency payments company MoonPay and video platform Shibuya.
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
Parasite – 4
1917– 3
Ford v Ferrari – 2
Joker – 2
Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
American Factory – 1
Bombshell – 1
Hair Love – 1
Jojo Rabbit – 1
Judy – 1
Little Women – 1
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
Marriage Story – 1
Rocketman – 1
The Neighbors' Window – 1
Toy Story 4 – 1
Tamkeen's offering
Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
Option 2: 50% across three years
Option 3: 30% across five years
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
Steve Baker
Peter Bone
Ben Bradley
Andrew Bridgen
Maria Caulfield
Simon Clarke
Philip Davies
Nadine Dorries
James Duddridge
Mark Francois
Chris Green
Adam Holloway
Andrea Jenkyns
Anne-Marie Morris
Sheryll Murray
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Laurence Robertson
Lee Rowley
Henry Smith
Martin Vickers
John Whittingdale
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
