For years, the top of Britain’s wealth rankings barely changed. Old family fortunes, inherited business empires, and generations of wealth kept names like the Hinduja family firmly at the top. But a tech entrepreneur who started a banking app from a London flat is now changing that old order.
At just 41, Revolut co-founder Nikolay Storonsky has become Britain’s richest self-made tech billionaire and the biggest wealth gainer of 2026. His fortune is already estimated at £16.4 billion ($22.2 billion), and if his company’s future plans work out, that number could become far bigger.
According to Bloomberg, Storonsky could end up with a fortune worth around $76 billion if the company successfully carries out a planned stock market listing at a valuation close to $200 billion. If that happens, it would place him ahead of the Hinduja family, which remains Britain’s wealthiest family.
The Hinduja Group, led by brothers Sanjay Hinduja and Dheeraj Hinduja after the death of patriarch Gopichand Hinduja in November last year, currently tops the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £38 billion ($51.5 billion).
Meet Nikolay Storonsky: The techie who gatecrashed Britain’s old money club
Storonsky entered this year’s Sunday Times Rich List at seventh place with a fortune of £16.4 billion ($22.2 billion). What caught attention was the speed at which his wealth grew. According to Rich List estimates, his fortune increased by an average of £25.8 million ($35 million) every day over the past year. That made him the biggest wealth gainer in Britain in 2026. Yet even that staggering number may only be the beginning.
Storonsky launched Revolut in 2015 using around $500,000 he had earned while working as a derivatives trader at Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse.
Born in Moscow in 1984 to a Russian father and a Ukrainian mother, Storonsky studied physics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology before earning a master’s degree in economics from New Economic School.
Outside academics, he was also a competitive boxer and a near-elite swimmer. After moving to the United Kingdom, he set out to build a financial company that would challenge traditional banks.
From a travel card to a global banking giant
Revolut began as a low-cost foreign exchange card designed to help people avoid expensive currency conversion fees while travelling. What started as a simple idea has since grown into one of the world’s biggest fintech companies.
As of March 2026, Revolut serves more than 70 million customers and supports money transfers in over 160 countries. The company was valued at $75 billion in November 2025, making it worth more than some of Britain’s best-known banks, including Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group.
The $76 billion jackpot that could still be coming
The real fireworks could still be ahead. Revolut, according to Bloomberg, is eyeing a stock market listing, likely in the US on the Nasdaq, around 2028 or sometime in the next couple of years, with a target valuation in the range of $150–200 billion (£111–148 billion).
A performance-linked incentive package, similar in structure to the one awarded to Elon Musk at Tesla, could give Storonsky more than 12 million special shares if the target is reached. These would come in addition to the 10.5 million ordinary shares he already owns.
If Revolut reaches a valuation of around $200 billion (£148 billion), his total stake could be worth roughly $76 billion (£56.2 billion), pushing him into the top tier of global billionaire rankings in finance.
Why Revolut is not rushing to go public
Despite the excitement around a future listing, Storonsky says he is not in a hurry. Speaking to Bloomberg’s David Rubenstein, he said he wants Revolut to go public, but not before 2028. “We’re a bank, and for a bank, it’s super important to have trust.” The company is also continuing its international expansion.
In March 2026, Revolut applied for a national bank charter in the United States with federal regulators. If approved, the move would allow the company to compete directly with some of America’s largest banks.
Unlike many tech billionaires, Storonsky largely stays away from the celebrity lifestyle. He rarely seeks media attention, avoids the startup celebrity circuit, and is known for focusing intensely on products and business growth.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he gave up his Russian citizenship and became a British citizen. He still owns roughly 25% of Revolut and remains the company’s chief executive.
One decision that sparked debate in Britain was his move to the United Arab Emirates. The relocation came shortly after Britain ended its non-dom tax regime and after Revolut established new global headquarters in Canary Wharf.
Disclaimer: The wealth estimates and projections mentioned in this article are based on public reports, market valuations, and analyst estimates.