Share

Prince to boycott Forbes billionaires list

Cairo - Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the richest man in the Arab world, is to boycott Forbes magazine's global billionaires list claiming that it underestimates his wealth, his Kingdom Holding Company announced Tuesday.

Forbes' recently issued billionaires list puts Alwaleed at 26th place, with a net worth of $20bn.

A statement posted on the company's website said that "Prince Alwaleed has taken this step as he felt he could no longer participate in a process which resulted in the use of incorrect data and seemed designed to disadvantage Middle Eastern investors and institutions."

It said Forbes was using "differing standards of proof for different individuals and organizations resulting in an arbitrary and confusing set of standards that seems demonstrably biased against the Middle East".

The Kingdom Holding Company statement included a recommendation for the rival Bloomberg Billionaires List which puts Alwaleed in 16th place worldwide and pegs his wealth at $28bn.

An article posted on Forbes' website hit back at Alwaleed, saying that "Of the 1 426 billionaires on our list, not one ... goes to greater measures to try to affect his or her ranking".

Forbes writer Kerry Dolan added that "former Alwaleed executives have been telling me that the prince, while indeed one of the richest men in the world, systematically exaggerates his net worth by several billion dollars".
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.01
+1.1%
Rand - Pound
23.79
+0.7%
Rand - Euro
20.40
+0.8%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.40
+0.7%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+1.2%
Platinum
925.50
+1.5%
Palladium
989.50
-1.5%
Gold
2,331.85
+0.7%
Silver
27.41
+0.9%
Brent Crude
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,437
-0.2%
All Share
74,329
-0.3%
Resource 10
62,119
+2.7%
Industrial 25
102,531
-1.5%
Financial 15
15,802
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders