The financial services industry has emerged as the world’s biggest billionaire factory. According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2026, financial services are the largest source of billionaire wealth globally.
The sector accounts for 9.9% of all billionaires globally while also contributing 10.6% of cumulative billionaire wealth. Media and entertainment is the second-largest sector by cumulative wealth, accounting for 10% of total wealth, as per the report.
Finance dominates global wealth creation
Thomas Peterffy, founder of Interactive Brokers, is the richest individual in the financial services sector globally, with wealth estimated at $89 billion. His fortune surged after gaining $34 billion in the past year, the report stated.
The report also highlighted figures such as Jeff Yass of Susquehanna International Group, known for quantitative trading strategies, and fintech entrepreneur Nikolay Storonsky of Revolut, whose wealth jumped 122%. In the United States, financial services is the largest sector for billionaire wealth, with 202 billionaires and 20 new entrants this year.
Media’s disproportionate share of wealth
While financial services lead in terms of billionaire numbers, media and entertainment aren’t too far behind either.
The sector accounts for 6.9% of the world’s billionaires, ranking fifth by number, but contributes 10% of total billionaire wealth globally, as per the report.
This wealth is increasingly tied to ownership of digital platforms, intellectual property and global content ecosystems, rather than traditional film or television production. Larry Page, co-founder of Alphabet, is the richest individual in the sector, after his wealth surged 65% to $271 billion, pushing him into the global top three richest individuals.
The report also pointed to growing billionaire wealth among celebrities and content creators, including Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Michael Jordan, and Shah Rukh Khan. Filmmaker Peter Jackson, for instance, built much of his fortune through ownership of visual effects company Weta FX.
Retail accounts for 6.8% of billionaires and 8.8% of cumulative wealth, with Jeff Bezos of Amazon standing as the richest representative of the industry, the report added.
Sector trends differ in India
In India, the healthcare sector produced the highest number of billionaires with 53 individuals, followed by industrial products with 36 and consumer goods with 31, according to the report.
Financial services did not produce the largest number of billionaires in India, but it was still one of the top-performing sectors, with wealth in the sector rising an average 29%, led by banker Uday Kotak, whose net worth stands at around $16 billion.
The sector also contributed to several of the 57 new Indian entrants to the billionaire list this year.
The report noted that while traditional sectors remain dominant, the largest share of wealth now sits in a broader category labelled ‘Others’, which includes industries such as aerospace, energy, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. This group alone accounts for 28.4% of billionaires and 30.3% of cumulative wealth.