Singapore’s 5 richest billionaires see $18.2B gain in collective wealth

This year’s top five feature the same names from 2024, albeit with a shuffle in rankings, with Eduardo Saverin holding the top spot for the third year running.

Below is a look at the city-state’s richest individuals, the source of their fortunes and their net worth based on the 2025 rankings, which are as of Aug. 15, 2025.

Eduardo Saverin – Facebook (now Meta Platforms)

Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin speaks at the Tech in Asia Singapore 2016 conference in Singapore April 12, 2016. Photo by Reuters

Born into a wealthy Brazilian family in 1982, Saverin went on to study at Harvard University in Massachusetts, per Bloomberg.

There, he joined forces with Mark Zuckerberg and two other classmates to launch Facebook in 2004 as a social network for college students.

Though he was pushed out of the company, Saverin still holds a small stake in what is now tech giant Meta Platforms.

A recent surge in Meta’s shares, fueled by growth in AI-driven advertising, added $14 billion to his wealth compared to a year ago, bringing his net worth to $43 billion.

The 43-year-old is reportedly a Singapore permanent resident and has ranked as the city-state’s richest man since 2023.

Kwek Leng Beng and family – City Developments Limited

City Developments Limited Executive Chairman Kwek Leng Beng poses with a scale model of the St Regis Residence during its launch ceremony in Singapore, June 1, 2006. Photo by Reuters

Kwek Leng Beng, 84, serves as executive chairman of property developer City Developments Limited. Founded in 1963, the company was acquired by the Kwek family’s Hong Leong Group in 1972, according to its website.

Leng Beng, together with his father and brother, took over the struggling business and transformed it into one of Singapore’s largest property developers.

Earlier this year, a public feud broke out between Leng Beng and his son Sherman Kwek, CDL’s group CEO, rattling investors and sending the company’s shares to a two-decade low.

The stock has since rebounded following a truce between the two and several of the firm’s divestments aimed at reducing debt, Forbes reported.

The family’s net worth rose $2.8 billion to $14.3 billion, lifting them from fourth to second place on the rankings.

Philip and Robert Ng – Far East Organization

Robert Ng (left) and Philip Ng. Photo by Alpha Singapore, Imaginechina via AFP

Philip Ng, 66, and his older brother Robert, 73, control Far East Organization, Singapore’s largest private landlord. The company was founded by their late father, Ng Teng Fong, who moved from China to Singapore in 1934 and later became known as "The King of Orchard Road."

Philip serves as the group’s chairman and CEO and manages operations in Singapore, while Robert oversees the Hong Kong arm, Sino Group.

Stock exchange filings cited by the South China Morning Post early in August revealed that Robert was stepping down and passing the torch to his son, Daryl Ng, who was set to become chairman of Sino’s Hong Kong-listed property firms by the end of the month.

The brothers’ combined fortune slipped slightly to $14.1 billion from $14.4 billion last year, moving them from second to third place.

Goh family – Nippon Paint Holdings

Goh Cheng Liang, founder of Nippon Paint South East Asia (Nipsea). Photo from Nippon Paint Malaysia's Facebook

Goh Cheng Liang, who became a billionaire thanks to his majority stake in Nippon Paint Holdings, a leading global supplier of automotive and decorative paints, passed away on Aug. 12 at the age of 98.

He was previously named the richest Singaporean in Forbes’ global billionaire list released in April and placed fifth in its 2024 Singapore list with a $10.4 billion fortune.

Following his death, the Goh family, which includes his heirs, debuted on this year’s rankings with $13.1 billion in wealth.

The late tycoon’s long-standing business relationship with Nippon began in the late 1950s, when it asked him to be its main distributor in Singapore, according to Tatler Asia.

He opened his first paint shop in 1955 and became the Japanese brand’s primary distributor in the region by 1962.

Before that, he had assisted his brother-in-law in selling fishing nets and briefly run an aerated water business, which ultimately failed.

Li Xiting – Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics

Li Xiting, founder of medical supplier Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics. Photo courtesy of the company

Li Xiting, 74, is a Chinese-born entrepreneur and a graduate of the University of Science and Technology of China. He became a Singapore citizen in 2018.

In 1991, he co-founded medical equipment supplier Mindray in Shenzhen with two partners, later taking the company public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2016, as reported by Bloomberg.

The firm employs around 18,000 people, with about a quarter of its workforce in research and development, and its products are sold in more than 190 countries. The company reported revenue of 34.9 billion yuan (US$4.9 billion) in 2023.

Li’s net worth has dipped slightly to $13 billion from $13.4 billion in 2024, when he ranked as Singapore’s third-richest individual.