Six Armenians on Forbes World Billionaires List

By Siranush Ghazanchyan
Public Radio of Armenia

There are six Armenian in the World’s Billionaires list published by Forbes on March 3. Kirk Kirkorian (328th) is still the world’s richest Armenian with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion. The other Armenian billionaires are Samvel Karapetyan (345th), Danil Khachaturov (663rd), Eduardo Eurnekian (931st) and Sergei Sarkisov and Nikolai Sarkisov (both ranked1465th), reports Armradio.am .

The ranks of the world’s billionaires continue to scale new heights–and stretch to new corners of the world. The global wealth team found 1,645 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $6.4 trillion, up from $5.4 trillion a year ago. In total, there are 172 women on the list, more than ever before and up from 138 last year.

Bill Gates is back on top after a four-year hiatus, reclaiming the title of world’s richest person from telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico, who ranked No. 1 for the past four years. Gates, whose fortune rose by $9 billion in the past year, has held the top spot for 15 of the past 20 years. Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega (best known for the Zara fashion chain) retains the No. 3 spot for the second year in a row, extending his lead over Warren Buffett, who is again No. 4. American gambling tycoon Sheldon Adelson, who added $11.5 billion to his pile, makes it back into the top ten for the first time since 2007. Another first: A record net worth of $31 billion was needed to make the top 20, up from $23 billion last year.

Kirk Kirkorian, a hotel magnate is still making money — even at the age of 96. Despite selling $750 million worth of shares of MGM International Resorts in recent years, the Chairman emeritus still owns nearly one-fifth its shares, which have nearly doubled in the past year — helping boost his net worth by $1.2 billion.

Samvel Karapetyan heads the Tashir Group, a real estate firm that owns 27 shopping centers, seven office complexes, and seven hotels.

In late 2013 Danil Khachaturov listed shares in his insurance giant Rosgosstrakh, one of Russia’s highest-volume insurers, on the Moscow Exchange. Khachaturov studied construction and finance at Moscow schools and went to work at privately-held BIN Bank and then at Slavneft, an oil company led at the time by billionaire Mikhail Gutseriev.

Through the years, Eduardo Eurnekian, now 71, has proven he is a flexible businessman and entrepreneur. The son of Armenian immigrants, he first delved into the textiles industry, and then the cable TV business in the 1980s.

Sergei Sarkisov got his start at the Soviet state insurance firm Ingosstrakh. In 1991 he founded his own insurer, RESO-Garantiya where he serves as chairman of the board.

Nikolai Sarkisov, the younger brother of billionaire Sergei Sarkisov, oversees the largest clients at Sergei’s insurance company, RESO-Garantiya. The brothers own 63% of the company, while French insurer AXA owns the remaining 37%.