Forbes magazine published its 2016 ranking of The World's Billionaires.
In it Carlos Slim Helu, the world's second richest man in 2015, dropped to the fourth place after the drop registered in the shares of América Móvil, his Latin American mobile phone operator "in the wake of new Mexican telecom regulations, a weaker Mexican peso and economic decline in Brazil that drove a US$27.1 billion drop in his net worth, making him the biggest dollar loser on the 2016 Forbes Billionaires List,” Forbes said.
Slim is the largest shareholder of The New York Times, with a nearly 17% stake. He also owns a majority stake in industrial conglomerate Grupo Carso, financial venture Grupo Financiero Inbursa and infrastructure development and operating company Ideal.
The list is headed by Bill Gates (Microsoft - U.S.), with a net worth of US$75 billion, followed by Amancio Ortega (Zara - Spain) with US$67 billion and Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway - U.S.) with US$60.8 billion
In total there are 14 Mexicans in the list, two less than last year.
Germán Larrea Mota Velasco is ranked 121 with a net worth of US$9.2 billlion followed by another mining entrepreneur on the same position: Alberto Bailleres González, with a net worth of US$6.9 billion.
Larrea and his family own just under half of Grupo México, the country's largest mining and infrastructure company. It has three main units: Americas Mining Corporation, which owns mining assets in Mexico, Peru (Southern Copper) and the U.S. (Asarco); Infraestructura y Transportes México (ITM), which owns two railroads; and a 30% stake in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, which operates airports.
Alberto Bailleres González chairs Industrias Peñoles, Mexico's second largest mining company and one of the world's largest silver miners. He also controls department store chain Grupo Palacio de Hierro, insurance company Grupo Nacional Provincial and pension fund manager Grupo Profuturo, and he owns a stake in Mexican Coke bottler FEMSA.
Eva Gonda de Rivera, widow of Eugenio Garza Laguera, former chair of FEMSA, Latin America's biggest independent Coca-Cola bottler and distributor (US$6.1 billion), is ranked 196.
Another woman included in the list is María Asunción Aramburuzabala, with a net worth of US$5.5 billion and ranked 223. Aramburuzabala, her sister Lucrecia and their mother Lucrecia Larregui together inherited a controlling stake in Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo when her father, Pablo Aramburuzabala, died in 1995. In 2013, Anheuser-Busch Inbev bought the 50% of Grupo Modelo it did not already own for US$20.1 billion in cash.
Jerónimo Arango is ranked 338 with a net worth of US$4.4 billion. Arango and his two brothers, Manuel and Plácido, gained a fortune when they sold their majority stake in discount retailer Cifra to Wal-Mart's Mexican arm in 1997.
Ricardo Salinas Pliego is ranked 351 with a net worth of US$4.3 billion. After the success he had in early 2015 with the sale of mobile phone company Iusacell to AT&T for US$2.5 billion (including US$800 million debt), the mogul lost nearly half his fortune in the year through February 2016 as shares of TV Azteca, Mexico's second largest broadcaster, plunged. The largest part of his fortune still lies in appliance retailer and banking company Grupo Elektra.
Antonio del Valle Ruiz is ranked 666 with a net worth of US$2.6 billion. In 2002 he sold his minority stake in Mexican banking group Grupo Financiero Bital to his partners in exchange for the control of industrial group Camesa, which later became chemical and pipe-making conglomerate Mexichem, of which he and his six children own 42%. Del Valle holds a 39.5% stake in the construction conglomerate Elementia, while Slim, through his Grupo Carso, owns 35.6%. In 2003 Del Valle and other investors founded Grupo Financiero BX+, also known as Banco Ve Por Mas. He and his family own a 35% stake in the banking venture. He also owns stakes in chemical distributor Grupo Pochteca and Spanish bank Popular Español.
Both Carlos Hank Rohn and Emilio Azcárraga Jean are ranked 854 with a net worth of US$2.1 billion. Hank's fortune includes assets in the financial, industrial, real estate and transportation industries. His bank holding company is Grupo Financiero Interacciones, of which he and his family own more than 70%. In addition to Interacciones, Hank Rhon owns Grupo Hermes, an industrial conglomerate with interests in construction, infrastructure projects, energy, transportation, tourism and auto dealerships. He is the son of the late Carlos Hank González, who was Mexico City mayor, Minister of Agriculture and governor of the state of Mexico.
Azcárraga is the president and CEO of Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa, one of the world's largest producers of Spanish language TV content. He became the CEO after the death of his father in 1997.
José and Francisco José Calderón Rojas are ranked 906 with a net worth of US$2 billion. The brothers inherited their fortune from their father, who cofounded beverage and convenience store chain Fomento Económico Mexicano, known as FEMSA. The brothers have an estimated 7% stake in the company. FEMSA is the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler. The company has been buying Mexican retail pharmacies since 2013.
Roberto Hernández Ramírez is ranked 1067 with a net worth of US$1.7 billion. The former Banamex chief was paid US$2 billion in stock when Citigroup bought the Mexican bank in 2001. Currently, he is on the board of Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa.
David Peñaloza Alanís is ranked 1198 with a net worth of US$1.52 billion. He is the son of David Peñaloza Sandoval, the founder of construction and infrastructure company Grupo Tribasa, which builds and operates toll roads. After renegotiating its debt, the company emerged from its restructuring in 2003, began trading again on the Mexican stock exchange in 2005 and was renamed Promotora y Operadora de Infraestructura, or Pinfra, in 2006. He is its largest shareholder.
Finally Alfredo Harp Helu is ranked 1476 with a net worth of US$1.2 billion. He is cousin of Carlos Slim. Harp Helú was a shareholder of Mexican bank Banamex and made a fortune when Citigroup bought Banamex in 2001. Today he owns the country's largest sporting goods retail chain, Grupo Martí, which also runs fitness centers under the brand Sport City.
Source: Forbes http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/