Financial sector news

In 2025, the number of billionaires and the amount of their wealth reached an all-time high. UBS data shows that this growth was driven by a sharp increase in the value of technology stocks and assets in the artificial intelligence sector.

There are currently 2,919 billionaires in the world, the highest number since 1995, when UBS began collecting these statistics. Over the past 12 months, the number of billionaires has increased by 237. Their combined wealth reached $15.8 trillion, which is 13% more than a year earlier. The growth is linked to both the rise in the value of existing business assets and the emergence of new dollar billionaires in various sectors.
Unlike the jump in 2021, which was linked to the rise in asset values after the pandemic, this year's increase reflects real business success and innovation.

Billionaires in the technology sector increased their wealth by 23.8%, while the consumer and retail sector grew by only 5.3% due to the European luxury industry losing momentum to Chinese brands. The industrial sector showed the fastest growth, up 27.1% to $1.7 trillion. Financial services grew 17% to $2.3 trillion thanks to strong markets and the recovery of cryptocurrencies, with self-made billionaires controlling 80% of the wealth in this segment.

UBS explains that this sharp jump is linked to the success of companies working with artificial intelligence: from chip manufacturers to cloud infrastructure. These companies include Meta, Oracle, and Nvidia.
The United States and the Asia-Pacific region remain the leaders in growth.

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UBS is Switzerland's largest financial holding company, providing a wide range of services, including asset management, private and investment banking, with offices in more than 50 countries around the world.