Russian Billionaires

Actuality February 18, 2008

Number of dollar billionaires has increased from 61 to 101 in Russia for a year.

"Finans" magazine published the annual rating of the 500 richest people of Russia for the fifth time. Their total estate equals $715,3 bln, and first top ten - $221 bln.

Experts of "Finans" connect the vigorous growth of billionaires’ amount and size of many individual estates to the increase of estimation of the Russian companies in 2007 and strengthening of ruble rate.

First place the second year running occupies the stockholder of Basic Element, Rusal, OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel and many other companies Oleg Deripaska with $40 bln. Last year he squeezed Roman Abramovich out from the first place, and now, presumably, settled at the head of the list seriously and for a long time, marks BBC.

Last year "Finans"estimated the estate of Deripaska at $21,2 bln. Thus, it has practically doubled for a year. At the current moment the magazine experts consider Deripaska " the most active Russian businessman". In 2007 Deripaska acquired stockholdings of companies Magna, Strabag, Hochtief, Transstroy ans Rusneft.

On the second place the second year running is Roman Abramovich ($23 bln). For the last year the estate of Chukotka governor and owner of "Chelsea" grew "only" at 2 billion.

The third and fourth places shared the head of Alfa Group Mikhail Fridman and owner of Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) Vladimir Lisin (in $22,2 bln).

Further the rating looks like the following: Aleksey Mordashov ($22,1 bln), Vladimir Potanin and Mikhail Prokhorov (in $21,5 bln), Suleyman Kerimov ($18 bln), Viktor Vekselberg ($15,5 bln) and Herman Khan ($15 bln).

Estate of 18 Russians exceeds $10 bln, the same controls a capital from 5 to 10 bln. The only woman among the Russian billionaires is the president of INTEKO construction company, wife of the Moscow mayor Yurij Luzhkov, Elena Baturina ($7 bln, the 27th position in the rating). There are 15 ladies in the list of 500 richest people. For the first time the list entered Irina Abramovich who received $300 mln from the ex-husband and that allowed her to occupy the 270th line of the rating.

Russia occupies the second place in the world on the number of dollar billionaires after the USA. In Germany that occupies the third place there are about 60 billionaires.