It’s the start of another year and 2026 is already looking like being 12 months of turmoil and uncertainly.
Around the world cost of living crises are continuing to bite, with many experiencing a declining quality of life.
But for the super-rich it seems like a time of plenty, with many of the wealthiest continuing to grow their fortunes unaffected (or boosted) by world events.
Last year’s second inauguration of President Donald Trump was a blunt reminder - if needed - of the way money and power are closely entwined.
Elon Musk may have been the highest profile billionaire to offer Trump his support (before their spectacular falling out), but sitting next to him at the ceremony were tech tycoons Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.
They all feature prominently in this list of the 14 richest people in the world at the start of 2026 according to the experts at Forbes.
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5. Sergey Brin - $238.4 billion
Fellow Google founder Sergey Brin may be pipped by his colleague Larry Page when it comes to bank balances, but he still has an estimated worth of $238.4 billion meaning he squeezes into the top five richest people on the planet. 2025 seemed to be a good year from him - 12 months ago he was 'only' worth $155.4 billion. | AFP via Getty Images
6. Mark Zuckerberg - $223 billion
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook (when he was just 19), was one of several billionaires with a prime seat at President Trump's inauguration in 2025. He's dropped out of the top five for the first time in years though, with a fortune of around $223 billion. That's only slightly more than the $219.9 billion he was worth this time last year. | AFP via Getty Images
7. Bernard Arnault and family - $192.4 billion
As recently as 2024 French luxury goods titan Bernard Arnault topped the world billionaires ranking but he's now dropped to sixth, with wealth of 'just' $192.4 billion - down from $195.1 billion last January. His money comes from the conglomerate LVMH which owns a host of global brands like Louis Vuitton and Sephora. | AFP via Getty Images
8. Jensen Huang - $163.9 billion
Taiwanese tycoon Jensen Huang is the president and co-founder of Nvidia, the world's largest semiconductor company. He's benefitting massively from the boom in AI technology, with his fortune up from $128.4 billion in January 2025 to $163.9 billion 12 months on. And it's set to rise further. | Getty Images