Tencent's Pony Ma tops China's rich list
Ma Huateng
Ma Huateng, chairman and CEO of Tencent, China's largest Internet company by revenue, became the nation's richest man amid rising share prices for his Hong Kong-listed company, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which was updated on Thursday.
Li Yanhong, or Robin Li, the founder of China's largest Internet search engine Baidu, formerly the wealthiest individual in China, ranked third after property tycoon Wang Jianlin, the China Daily reported.
The net worth of Ma, also known as Pony Ma, is estimated at $13 billion with Tencent's share price surging to HK$512.5 ($66) on Thursday from the company's IPO price of HK$3.7 in 2004. The net worth of Wanda Group's chairman Wang Jianlin is estimated at $12.6 billion, which is only $100 million more than Li's.
The two men topped the rich list in 2013.
In August, Wang overtook Zong Qinghou, chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, as the country's richest man. Then in December, Li passed Wang.
The wealth of Jack Ma, the founder and CEO of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd, is estimated at $3.6 billion. But the number may rise in the near future as soon as Alibaba launches its IPO.