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Showing posts with label Hurun rich list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hurun rich list. Show all posts
The Hurun China rich-list has reached a record height, says Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report, at the release of the 2025 ranking, according to YiCai Global. Both new technology companies and a surprising export have added to the results, he adds. Also, the rising stock markets added to the wealth of China’s rich.
Yicai Global:
A total of 1,434 individuals with personal fortunes exceeding CNY5 billion (USD700 million) made this year’s list, up 31 percent from 2024. Their combined wealth surged 42 percent to nearly CNY30 trillion. Among them, 1,198 saw their wealth rise, including 376 new entrants, while 276 saw flat or lower fortunes, and 38 dropped off the list. The average age of those on the list was 60, one year younger than last year.
Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report, said the number of entrepreneurs on the list has nearly reached a historical peak, driven by a sharp rebound in China’s stock markets — with the Shanghai Composite Index, Shenzhen Component Index, and Hang Seng Index all up 40 percent to 50 percent year on year.
Hoogewerf added that the rise of new technology firms and a robust export market have also bolstered the ranks of China’s wealthy. He noted that the best-performing sectors over the past year included new energy vehicles, consumer electronics, new consumption, computing power, biomedicine, and securities services.
The number of billionaires has increased more in the US compared to China for the first time in ten years, according to the latest 14th annual Hurun Global Rich List, according to Barrons. “It’s been a tough year for luxury, telecommunications, and real estate in China”, writes Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report.
Barrons:
The number of U.S. billionaires in the world reached 870 in mid-January, outpacing the number in China for the first time in 10 years, according to a snapshot of the wealthiest in the world by the Hurun Report.
The U.S. gained 70 billionaires since last year, powered by a rising stock market, a strong dollar, and the insatiable appetite for all things AI, according to the 14th annual Hurun Global Rich List. China gained nine billionaires overall for a total of 823. Hurun is a China-based research, media, and investment group.
“It’s been a good year for AI, money managers, entertainment, and crypto,” Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report, said in a news release. “It’s been a tough year for luxury, telecommunications, and real estate in China.”
Overall, the Hurun list—which reflects a snapshot of global wealth based on calculations made Jan. 15—counted 3,442 billionaires in the world, up 5%, or 163, from a year ago. Their total wealth rose 13% to just under $17 trillion…
The overall list this year contained 387 new billionaires, while 177 dropped off the list—more than 80 of which were from China, Hurun said. “China’s economy is continuing to restructure, with the drop-offs coming from a weeding out of healthcare and new energy and traditional manufacturing, as well as real estate,” Hoogewerf said in the release.
Among those who wealth sank was Colin Huang, the founder of PDD Holdings —the parent company of e-commerce platforms Temu and Pinduoduo—who lost $17 billion.
Also, Zhong Shanshan, the founder and chair of the Nongfu Spring beverage company and the majority owner of Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise, lost $8 billion from “intensifying competition” in the market for bottled water. The loss knocked Zhong from his top rank in China, which is now held by Zhang Yiming founder of Tik-Tok owner Bytedance. Zhang is ranked No. 22 overall.
Traditional luxury markets have contracted, with the exception of travel, which is one of the conclusions of the 2025 Hurun Chinese Luxury Consumer Survey. “The average household consumption of China’s HNWIs was down 12% in the past year,” says Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman of Hurun, the research organization responsible for the Hurun Rich List in the Jing Daily.
The Jing Daily:
While travel flourishes, traditional luxury markets face headwinds. Hurun estimates that China’s luxury market contracted by 3% YoY, falling to $230 billion in 2024. High-end watches declined by 22%, luxury jewelry fell by 10%, and premium handbags dropped by 9%.
Meanwhile, luxury experiences thrive. The market for high-end services including hotels and travel grew 17% year-on-year.
“The average household consumption of China’s HNWIs was down 12% in the past year,” says Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman of Hurun, the research organization responsible for the Hurun Rich List. “This has forced high-end brands to deliver higher quality for a lower price.”…
Beyond destination preferences, Chinese HNWIs increasingly seek specific travel themes. Historical sites (13%), sunshine beaches (12%), and luxury resorts (11%) comprise the top travel themes. Cultural tourism has seen strong growth, while “short-distance luxury travel” and “ocean cruises” have emerged as new categories of interest.
Today’s typical Chinese luxury consumer is 35 years old, with family assets of 47.5 million RMB ($6.55 million), and resides in a 270-square-meter home. They spend seven days monthly on business travel and expect financial freedom by age 46.
“The lifestyle, investment, and brand preferences of the luxury consumers in China has changed dramatically in the past 20 years,” Hoogewerf says. “Preferred travel destinations have shifted from Australia, France and the U.S. to the Maldives, Singapore and Dubai; preferred sports have shifted from golf to running.”
These evolving preferences not only reshape China’s luxury industry and market but carry significant implications for global luxury markets and travel destinations seeking to capture this influential consumer segment in 2025 and beyond.
Rupert Hoogewerf, founder and compiler of the Hurun China Rich List, looks back at the 25-anniversary of his Hurun Rich List and explains how his company survived all the twists and turns in China’s recent history.
The Hurun China rich list published its 2024 results and its chairman Rupert Hoogewerf saw 30 percent of the country’s billionaires disappear, he says on CNBC. “The Hurun China Rich List has shrunk for an unprecedented third year running, as China’s economy and stock markets had a difficult year,” said Rupert Hoogewerf.
CNBC:
China has 1,094 individuals with wealth exceeding 5 billion yuan ($700 million), down by 12% or 147 individuals from the previous year, according to Hurun Research. The combined wealth of these entrepreneurs amounted to $3 trillion, 10% lower than last year.
The country’s billionaire count dropped by 142 to 753 from a year earlier — and down more than 30% from the 2021 high of 1,185.
“The Hurun China Rich List has shrunk for an unprecedented third year running, as China’s economy and stock markets had a difficult year,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun report chairman and chief researcher.
The current rich list predominantly comprises entrepreneurs from the technology, consumer electronics and new energy space, from what used to be dominated by real estate developers, Hoogewerf noted.
“The stories of the individuals on the Hurun China Rich List tell the story of the Chinese economy,” he said.
The new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs are also more international than their predecessors, Hoogewerf observed, citing how ByteDance’s Zhang went global with TikTok and Pinduoduo’s Huang crafted Temu’s ascent as a global e-commerce hub.
China’s new energy industry is key in creating wealth, says Rupert Hoogewerf at the Hurun website, reporting on the Global Unicorn Index 2024. “In the latest Hurun China Top 500, new energy has risen to fifth place, with 36 companies making the cut. This was significantly up on just five years ago, when there were a mere 14 new energy companies, making the industry not even a Top 10,” says Rupert Hoogewerf.
Rupert Hoogewerf:
“The new energy industry is a strong driving force for urban development, which is not only a catalyst for economic transformation and sustainable development, but also an important indicator to measure the city’s innovation, talent and industrial attractiveness. China’s major cities are exploring their own new energy-related value, which is critical to the overall development of China’s new energy industry chain. We created this list to recognize cities that have made significant achievements in the field of new energy, while encouraging more cities to play a part in building a sustainable green future.”
“In the latest Hurun Global 500, Tesla led a group of only five new energy companies that made the list. 3 were from China, CATL, BYD and Li Auto, whilst two were froim the US, led by Tesla and Florida-based Nextera Energy.
“In the latest Hurun China Top 500, new energy has risen to fifth place, with 36 companies making the cut. This was significantly up on just five years ago, when there were a mere 14 new energy companies, making the industry not even a Top 10.”
“In the Global Unicorn Index 2024, there were 58 new energy-related companies, of which 41 were in China and in the latest edition of the Hurun Future Unicorns (including Hurun Global Gazelle Index and Hurun Global Cheetah Index), there were 23 new energy-related companies.”
“China’s new energy story can also be inspired by the stories of entrepreneurs on our Hurun China Rich List. The first wave of new energy entrepreneurs was represented by Shi Zhengrong of Wuxi Suntech in 2006, the second wave was Li Hejun of Hanergy in 2014, and the third wave was Robin Zeng Yuqun of CATL in 2021. All of them made the Top 5 of the Hurun China Rich List. This is now the fourth wave, and while none of them have made it into the Top 5, there are far more of them than before.”
“China’s energy transition investment was significant last year, reaching US$676bn. By comparison, the total energy transition investments of the EU, US and UK combined came to US$718bn. China topped the world in many segments of new energy, and it is interesting that these advantages are scattered across many cities in China, with different cities exploring their own advantages. Some areas have geographical advantages, such as high altitude and thin air in the Northwest, which has a small weakening effect on solar radiation, while the Northwest has little rainfall and rich light resources, which is suitable for the development of photovoltaic industry. Some regions have advantages in natural resources, such as Jiangxi, which has rich lithium reserves. Some cities have industrial base advantages, for example, in the 1960s, Sichuan began to study polysilicon. Some cities, such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, have a complete technology ecosystem that is more conducive to the development of system-level products.”
“Going global has become a very important trend for China’s new energy industry. Many of China’s leading new energy companies now have almost half of their sales from overseas markets, mainly Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.”
“Many new energy vehicles and photovoltaic companies in China are now in the forefront of the world. Competition between cities and companies is likely to cause companies to lose money in the short to medium term, with the share prices of many leading companies down by up to 80% from their peak in 2021.”
“Eastern China has a prominent advantage in the field of new energy, and 25 cities on the list are from Eastern China, accounting for half of the cities from our list. Jiangsu has been the province with the highest concentration of new energy for three consecutive years, with a total of 10 cities on the list, one province accounting for one-fifth of the entire list, and with the cities of Changzhou and Suzhou both making the Hurun New Energy Top 5.”
The 2023 Hurun China rich list sees changes, and Rupert Hoogewerf, the Hurun Report chairman and chief researcher, sees efforts to go global as a key factor for growing riches, he tells Reuters. PDD’s Temu, ByteDance’s short-video platform TikTok, and ultra-fast fashion brand Shein he sees as examples.
Reuters:
The founder of PDD Holdings saw his wealth swell by US$13.8 billion (S$18.8 billion) in a year, as a slowing global economy drove more shoppers to the Chinese company’s discount e-commerce platforms Temu and Pinduoduo, an annual rich list showed on Tuesday.
Mr Colin Huang, who founded PDD in 2015 and stepped down as chief executive in 2020, was the fastest riser in 2023’s Hurun Rich List, leaping seven places to be ranked China’s third-richest man, with a US$37.2 billion fortune. It also marked the first time he had broken into the top three ranking.
The growth of his fortune reflects the changing e-commerce landscape both in China, where consumer confidence remains low after three years of Covid-19 curbs, and abroad, where shopping platforms such as Temu and Shein are gaining steam. PDD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Billionaire Jack Ma, founder of rival Alibaba, which is currently going through a restructuring and working to fend off competition from the likes of PDD, fell one place from 2022 to the 10th spot.
The number of Alibaba shareholders on the list, which ranks China’s wealthiest people with a minimum net worth of 5 billion yuan (S$952.4 million), fell from 18 in 2022 to 12 this year.
Mr Richard Liu, who founded e-commerce giant JD.com, saw his wealth, and that of his wife Zhang Zetian, fall by US$6.2 billion since 2022 to US$8.26 billion, according to Hurun’s list.
JD.com’s shares fell to a record low earlier in October after banks cut its price targets, citing a weaker-than-expected recovery in consumer spending.
“Going global has been one of the key sources of growth this year,” said Mr Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Report chairman and chief researcher, citing PDD’s Temu, ByteDance’s short-video platform TikTok and ultra-fast fashion brand Shein as examples.
The founder of bottled water brand Nongfu Spring, Mr Zhong Shanshan, retained his first place on the list for the third year running, with a US$62 billion fortune; while Mr Pony Ma, founder of social media and gaming giant Tencent, was second, with US$38.6 billion.
Hurun rich-list founder Rupert Hoogewerf visited the recent 10th Arab-China Conference in Riyadh and explains why China's economic interests are moving in the direction of the Arab world: new energy, building infrastructure, and rapid industrialization, he tells at Arab News.
Arab News:
He said Chinese investors appeared keen on exploring the region’s markets, particularly Saudi Arabia. With the emergence of new sectors such as renewable energy, fast-growing real estate, and rapid industrialization in the region, there are huge opportunities for Chinese entrepreneurs, he added.
Hoogerwerf said China has a large number of “young companies that are innovative” and are interested in entering the Saudi market.
He said cheap energy prices make setting up bases in the Kingdom a lucrative proposition for manufacturing companies. “And of course, there is a lot of ambition to construct new infrastructure here,” he added.
The researcher said Chinese companies have the required expertise and willingness to drive growth in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia.
He said he brought two Chinese companies with him to explore the Saudi market and launch operations in the Kingdom. One of the companies is a top manufacturer of solar panels, Hoogerwerf told Arab News. He said the company is in talks with Saudi partners to start manufacturing operations here as the Kingdom is also making efforts to transition from traditional to renewable and sustainable energy sources.
The other company, he said, is a real estate giant and visiting the Kingdom for the first time.
Rupert Hoogewerf is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
Young entrepreneurs should dream bigger, says Hurun chairman Rupert Hoogewerf, publisher of the Hurun China Rich List, based on his talks with many rich in China.
The number of unicorns, companies worth more than US$1 billion, exploded globally over the past three years, despite the slowdown caused by Covid-19, says Hurun chairman Rupert Hoogewerf during the release of the Global Unicorn Index 2023 by Hurun Research Institute, at the China Daily. Especially the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) did very well, the report says.
The China Daily:
A total of 63 companies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area have made it onto the Global Unicorn Index 2023 by Hurun Research Institute, an increase of 12 compared to a year earlier and double the number listed on the index before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the top 10 unicorns from China listed on the global 2023 index, half are in the GBA, including Guangzhou-based fast fashion platform Shein (ranking 4th), Shenzhen-based digital bank WeBank (ranking 6th), Dongguan-based mobile phone makers Oppo and Vivo, and Shenzhen-based drone maker DJI. …
According to the index, Guangzhou was the Chinese city with the fastest growing number of unicorns in the past year. There were 22 unicorns from Guangzhou in the latest ranking, 12 more than a year earlier.
“The three years after the COVID-19 outbreak were the most active period for unicorns. Over the past three years, a new unicorn was created every day in the world, bringing the total to more than 1,360. Despite economic slowdown, there were over 500 new unicorns globally in the past year, which is equivalent to nearly 10 each week on average,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun index.
He said unicorn companies grew rapidly in the first half of 2022, but slowed down significantly in the second half.
“That was because of the US interest rate hikes, the global economic downturn and uncertainties (which) led to investment institutions nearly halting the funding of new projects. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank further lowered valuations.”
China lost 229 billionaires in the last year as a faltering economy, sliding stocks and a depreciating yuan hit the country’s super-rich harder than their peers in any other nation, according to a new list published by Hurun Report. Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report, “Chinese entrepreneurs will actively look to expand abroad from this year as they have a global perspective,” says Hoogewerf, according to the South China Morning Post.
The South China Morning Post:
The total wealth of the listed Chinese billionaires, which includes 77 people from Hong Kong and 46 from Taiwan, plummeted 15 per cent, compared to a loss of 10 per cent in net worth globally. A total of 26 Chinese tycoons rank among the world’s 100 richest people.
“Interest rate hikes, the appreciation of the US dollar, the popping of a Covid-19-driven tech bubble and the continued impact of the Russia-Ukraine war have all combined to hurt stock markets,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report, a consultancy…
“Chinese entrepreneurs will actively look to expand abroad from this year as they have a global perspective,” said Hoogewerf. “The reopening give them opportunities to copy their growth model [in China] to other countries.”
Overall, China remains the biggest source of known billionaires, with the total number standing at 969 – 40 per cent more than the US with 691.
The two countries together account for 53 per cent of the total 3,112 billionaires globally.
Hurun chief researcher Rupert Hoogewerf issued the most successful Chinese heritage brands list for 2022, raking the 550-year-old Pien Tze Huang, a traditional Chinese medicine brand, and a current valuation of just under US$30bn. “That makes it the Number One most successful Chinese Heritage Brand,” says Rupert Hoogewerf.
Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Report Chairman and Chief Researcher, looks for the 2022 Hurun Richest Women in China list at who those women are. In his 17th year, women have been doing better, despite the global downturn for the rich over the past few years.
President Xi Jinping pushes the concept of “common prosperity to diminish China’s grasp between the poor and rich. China’s 49 richest tycoons have donated US$14 billion for that purpose, according to the Hurun China Philanthropy List 2022. “The top three on the list each donated around 15 billion yuan and came from internet companies,” says Hurun’s chief researcher Rupert Hoogewerfin AsiaOne.
AsiaOne:
The founders of three of China’s technology giants each pledged over US$2 billion to charitable causes over the past year, in a collective response to the nation’s call for common prosperity that drove donations to a record, according to the Hurun China Philanthropy List 2022.
The list recorded 49 benefactors who each gave away more than 100 million yuan (S$19 million) from April 2021 to the end of August, driving total donations to a record US$10 billion (S$14 million), the most in 19 editions and “a record year for big philanthropy,” said Hurun’s chief researcher Rupert Hoogewerf.
China’s top 10 philanthropists, all on Hurun’s China Rich list , gave away 6.3 per cent of their total wealth, or around US$8.7 billion, according to the report.
“The top three on the list each donated around 15 billion yuan and came from internet companies,” Hoogewerf said in the list released on Wednesday. “They have recently retreated behind the scenes, and have all responded quickly to the country’s common prosperity drive.”
Common prosperity first emerged as a wealth distribution concept in the 1950s soon after the establishment of the People’s Republic, and resurfaced in the 1980s when China experimented with capitalism and economic liberalisation.
President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called for “common prosperity” as an aspirational concept in the past year to narrow the gap between China’s ultra wealthy and the rural poor. The catchphrase refers to affluence shared by everyone both in material and cultural terms, not the prosperity for just a few nor an absolute equal distribution, and should be advanced step by step, according to the government…
Seven of the top 10 philanthropists donated shares of their businesses to charitable foundations, according to Hoogewerf.
“Charitable trusts have become an important way to promote common prosperity and the development of philanthropy in the country,” he said.
