Who Are Morocco’s Richest Billionaires?

Othman Benjelloun, the 93-year-old patriarch of one of Morocco’s most storied financial dynasties, has held onto the top spot in the country’s billionaire rankings, with Forbes putting his family’s net worth at $1.7 billion in its latest global wealth assessment.

Benjelloun, who chairs the Bank of Africa financial group, ranked 2,386th globally. The figure marks an increase from previous years, cementing a position he has occupied at the summit of Moroccan wealth for some time now.

Aziz Akhannouch, Morocco’s head of government, came in second with a family fortune estimated at $1.6 billion. Akhannouch built his wealth through the Akwa Group, a conglomerate with deep roots in the country’s energy and distribution sectors. The figure is a notable climb from the $1.25 billion Forbes attributed to him back in 2016, reflecting years of expansion for the family business even as Akhannouch moved deeper into public life.

Real estate developer Anas Sefrioui and his family rounded out the top three, with Forbes pegging their fortune at $1.3 billion. Sefrioui built his wealth through Addoha Group, one of Morocco’s most prominent property developers, which has had a significant role in shaping the country’s housing market over the past two decades.

On the global stage, Elon Musk held the top position by a staggering margin, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $839 billion. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin followed at $257 billion and $237 billion respectively, a reminder of just how thoroughly the technology sector has come to dominate the upper reaches of global wealth.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ranked fourth at $224 billion, with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg just behind at $222 billion. Bernard Arnault, who controls the LVMH luxury empire, came in seventh at $171 billion. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang continued his ascent, landing eighth with $154 billion as demand for artificial intelligence chips kept the chipmaker’s valuation elevated.

Rounding out the top ten were Warren Buffett at $149 billion and Spanish retail magnate Amancio Ortega at $148 billion, the Zara founder who has remained one of Europe’s wealthiest individuals for years.