The magazine “Bilanz” has published its annual list of the richest in Switzerland. There is a record both in terms of assets and in the number of billionaires.
Author:
Matthias Pfander
28.11.2024, 22:01
The assets: According to the list published by the business magazine “Bilanz”, the wealth of the 300 richest people in Switzerland has reached a new record: 833.5 billion francs, more than ever before. The previous record was 821.8 billion francs, that was in 2021. In the two following years, assets fell slightly to under 800 billion. Sure, the list is an approximation. But the mere fact that the evaluation has been produced for 36 years gives it a certain level of significance. For comparison: When it was first published, the assets of the 100 richest people at the time amounted to 66 billion francs.
1 / 10 Platz 1 Gérard Wertheimer has assets of 37 to 38 billion francs. His wealth comes from the luxury goods, fashion, real estate and wine industries. IMAGO / Federico Pestellini
2 / 10 Platz 2 The Hoffmann, Oeri and Duschmalé families (in the picture André Hoffmann, spokesman for the Roche owner family) have assets of 28 to 29 billion francs. KEYSTONE/Alessandro della Valle
3 / 10 Platz 3 Klaus-Michael Kühne has assets of 27 to 28 billion francs. Among other things, he is the majority owner of the logistics service provider Kühne + Nagel. Keystone/ EPA/INGO WAGNER
4 / 10 Platz 4 The Safra family owns the J. Safra Group, a global company that includes banking and financial institutions. imago images/Manuel Geisser
5 / 10 Platz 5 Gianluigi Aponte has a fortune of 20 to 21 billion francs. He created the largest container shipping company in the world. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
6 / 10 Platz 8 Jorge Lemann’s family made their fortune worth 17 to 18 billion francs from beer, fast food and investments. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
7 / 10 Platz 6 The Bertarelli family (Dona and Ernesto Bertarelli in the picture) has assets of 16 to 17 billion francs. In 2006 the family sold the family company Serono. KEYSTONE/Salvatore Di Nolfi
8 / 10 Platz 7 Andrey Melnichenko has a fortune of 17 to 18 billion francs. This comes from the chemical, fertilizer, coal and investments sectors. Keystone/AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell
9 / 10 Platz 9 The Blocher family around former Federal Councilor Christoph Blocher has assets of 15 to 16 billion francs from the chemical, plastics, snack and media sectors. KEYSTONE/Valentin Flauraud
10 / 10 The Firmenich family (Patrick Firmenich in the picture) has assets of 14 to 15 billion francs from the flavors, perfumes and chemicals sectors. Keystone/MARTIAL TREZZINI
The richest of the richest: Chanel owner Gérard Wertheimer leads the list of the 300 richest by a billion-dollar margin – he is said to be worth 37-38 billion. This is followed by the Roche-owning families Hoffmann, Oeri and Duschmalé with 28-29 billion, just ahead of the logistics billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne with 27-28 billion. Also striking: the concentration of wealth at the top appears to have increased. Of the 300 richest, 152 own around 1 billion or more – this is also a record.
The new richest: Twelve new names appear in this year’s edition, making it onto the list for the first time. For example, the former Zurich FDP Councilor of States Ruedi Noser, whose assets are stated to be between 100 and 150 million francs. Or the Sprüngli owners Milan and Tomas Prenosil with 250 to 300 million. A new name has risen steeply in the ranking: Giancarlo Devasini, a crypto investor whose estimated fortune is said to be between 7 and 8 billion francs.
The most illustrious richest: In addition to the names already mentioned, there are of course many families and people well-known in the media on the list. The Bertarelli family with America’s Cup loser Ernesto ranks 8th with assets worth 16-17 billion francs, just ahead of the Blocher family, whose assets are estimated at 15-16 billion francs. UBS boss Sergio Ermotti’s assets are estimated at 150 to 200 million francs. The “balance sheet” calculates Roger Federer’s assets at up to 1 billion francs.
Swiss
