Singapore's Richest 2021: Who made Forbes’ list this year

Written by: Poppy Skinner Created: 09 June 2021

Singapore might be small, but when it comes to financial power, we sure are mighty.

While COVID-19 might have hit many hard, it doesn't seem to have stopped the top 0.5% from growing their wealth. Year on year, Forbes noted that there had been a five trillion-dollar surge in wealth and the addition of 493 billionaires onto the annual Billionaire List, of which three were from Singapore.

So what does it take to make the list? We take a look at some of the 32 Singaporeans on the Forbes Billionaire list and find out. 

Zhang Yong - Net Worth US$23Billion 

Zhang Yong is a true testament to hard work, self-belief and determination. Having not finished high school and despite the fact that he didn't even know how to cook, he managed to set up and found what is now one of the largest hot pot chains, Haidilao. He now sits at number 75 on the list and Haidilao has outlets all over the world. 

Goh Cheng Liang - Net Worth US21.7Billion

Living in Asia, you can't not have heard of Nippon Paint - which is the reason that Goh Cheng Liang sits at number 80 on this list. Nippon holds the record of being Singapore's first paint manufacturing plant and has grown to the world's fourth-largest paint manufacturer. 

Robert & Phillip Ng - Net Worth: US13.3Billion

As the saying goes; family who work together, stay together and that's never been more true than in the case of the Ng brothers. While their company, Far East Organisation, was founded by their father Ng Teng Fong, the pair now run Singapore's largest private landlord and property developer while splitting their duties between their branches here and across the pond in Hong Kong. 

Forrest Li - Net Worth US$12.4Billion

One of the newer additions to the list is Forrest Li of the tech world. Not only did he found an online gaming company called Sea, he also founded the highly successful Shopee. With Sea being listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017, Li saw his wealth skyrocket and was named this years Businessman of the Year at the 35th Singapore Business Awards.

Wee Cho Yaw - Net Worth US$6.8Billion

At number 384 on Forbes' list is Wee Cho Yaw who is the chairman of United Overseas Bank (UOB) AND United Industrial Corporation (UIC). But this isn't the only source of his vast fortune, he also sits on the board of directors of United Chinese Bank, which was founded by his father, Wee Kheng Chiang. 

Peter Lim - Net Worth US$3Billion

Lim is one of Singapore's leading stockbrokers and private investors who specialises in medicine and the highly lucrative palm oil. As Singapore's 10th richest person, he is also a private investor of several large medical groups, including the Thomson Medical Group. 

Ron Sim - Net Worth US1.3Billion

Rom Sim must be one very relaxed man. As the founder of the ultimate at-home relaxation devise, Osim, he also owns the likes of TWG Tea and V3 Group. As generous as he is successful, he donated SG$3Million to the Singapore Management University's Business Families Institute in 2018. 

Written by: Poppy Skinner

Poppy covers a wide range of topics at Billionaire, having spent the past 13 years at companies including Singapore Tatler, Her World Plus and Harpers Bazaar UK. She has a passion for fashion, jewellery and travel as well as an avaricious fascination with crime novels. Follow her at poppypskinner on Instagram.