35 of the 50 billionaires saw their fortunes grow, but tech-related wealth saw a sharp decline

Forbes has released its 2026 list of Singapore’s 50 Richest on Thursday (Sept 3), and while most of the city-state’s wealthiest got richer, their combined fortunes remained flat at US$239 billion.

35 of the 50 listees saw their fortunes grow, buoyed by Singapore’s strong economic performance and gains in sectors such as banking, property and retail.

But a sharp decline in tech-related wealth, including Meta co-founder Eduardo Saverin, wiped out much of those gains, leaving the collective fortune unchanged from last year.

Still, the losses have done little to dent Saverin’s lead. Despite seeing his net worth fall by US$10.1 billion to US$32.9 billion, he retained his position as Singapore’s richest person for the fourth consecutive year.

Here is the full list.

Who are Singapore’s top 50 richest?

2026’s biggest winners

The biggest winner this year was the Lee family, whose fortune rose 78% to US$13.8 billion, putting them in fourth place.

The family’s wealth is largely tied to a stake in OCBC, whose shares nearly doubled over the past year. The bank benefited from strong demand for wealth management services as Singapore continued to attract capital amid geopolitical uncertainty.

Real estate also continued to be a major source of wealth.

(L to R): City Developments Limited chairman Kwek Leng Beng and OCBC board member Lee Tih Shih/ Image Credit: Forbes/ OCBC

City Developments Limited chairman Kwek Leng Beng and his family remained in second place, with their fortune rising US$1.8 billion to US$16.1 billion. The family’s property empire has been reshaped over the past year through asset divestments and a greater focus on residential and hospitality markets.

Meanwhile, Far East Organization’s Robert and Philip Ng retained third place with a combined fortune of US$14.3 billion.

Tech took the hit

Tech was the biggest drag on Singapore’s billionaire fortunes this year.

Although Eduardo Saverin remained Singapore’s richest person for the fourth consecutive year, he lost US$10.1 billion from his fortune.

The Facebook co-founder’s net worth fell to US$32.9 billion as shares of Meta Platforms declined 25% over the past year. Meta’s second-quarter net profit fell 14%, with heavy spending on AI infrastructure adding to investor concerns.

(L to R): Sea Limited co-founders Gang Ye, Forrest Li and David Chen/ Image Credit: Sea Limited

Meanwhile, Sea’s three co-founders—Forrest Li, Gang Ye and David Chen—collectively lost about US$5.9 billion as shares of the New York-listed technology company fell by nearly a third.

Forrest Li ranked 10th with US$7.7 billion, while Gang Ye came in 14th with US$4.3 billion. David Chen ranked 44th with US$1.35 billion.

The decline came as Sea’s Shopee business faced tougher competition from TikTok Shop, putting pressure on e-commerce margins.

Two returnees and one newcomer

The 2026 ranking also saw one newcomer and two notable returnees.

Quek Leng Chye, managing director of Hong Leong Holdings, entered the list at No. 48 with a fortune of US$1.2 billion. He is the Singapore-based brother of Malaysian billionaire Quek Leng Chan and a cousin of Kwek Leng Beng.

Gordon and Celine Tang returned at No. 49 with US$1.1 billion after a two-year absence. Their comeback was helped by a 20% rise in Suntec REIT shares, one of their key holdings.

The Wong brothers—Charles, Keith and Kelvin, who own and run homegrown footwear and accessories brand Charles & Keith—also returned to the ranking at No. 50 with a combined fortune of US$1 billion.

• Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.

Also Read: ⁠Singapore now has 55 billionaires in 2026—that’s more than double from just 4 years ago

Featured Image Credit: Tatler/ Hong Leong Group Singapore/ Roslan Rahman