2023-11-06 14:13:28
Daniel Maté from San Sebastián is, for the third consecutive year, the Basque with the greatest assets, according to the Forbes list. And his fortune, which amounts to 2.9 billion, has suffered a decrease of 200 million this last year. In fact, this loss has caused the third shareholder of Glencore, and a practically unknown businessman, to have fallen from sixth to seventh position on the list prepared by the aforementioned magazine, headed for another year by Amancio Ortega and a total of six Basque businessmen. It is the same number as last year, although two names have changed: Fernando Romero from Errenteria leaves the list and Alejandro Aznar Sainz, owner of the Marqués de Riscal wineries in Álava, enters.
Among the hundred richest Spaniards, Basque fortunes have little relative weight. Of the total of 196,000 million euros that these hundred first fortunes hold, the six businessmen from Euskadi – 2 from Gipuzkoa, 2 from Biscay and 2 from Álava – ‘only’ control 6,190 million, 3.15% of the total. And there the biggest pinch, almost half, corresponds to Daniel Maté from San Sebastian, who consolidates himself in the top-10 on the list.
Despite being the seventh richest man in Spain, he carries discretion as his flag and that is why there are hardly any photos of him or his family. Born in San Sebastián, but residing in Switzerland, Maté is the third largest shareholder of the Anglo-Swiss metals and mining multinational Glencore. For the second consecutive year, it appears among the top ten positions in the ranking, where it has had a meteoric rise, going from 21st place in 2020 (1.2 billion), to tenth in 2021 (2.2 billion), to sixth position in 2022 (3.1 billion ) and go down one step this 2023 (2.9 billion). According to the magazine, in recent months, he has taken advantage of the company’s stock market rally to undo positions, although his other investments in Rossberg Inmobilien AG, Wildspitz SL and Gran Vía 60 SL have caused his assets to decrease in volume. According to a notification to the British regulator, his stake has already fallen below 3%.
Forbes 2023 list of the hundred richest Spaniards
1. Amancio Ortega (Inditex): 81.8 billion (28.3 billion more than in 2022)
2. Sandra Ortega (Inditex): 7.1 billion (1.7 billion more than in 2022)
3. Rafael del Pino (Ferrovial): 5.9 billion (+2.1 billion)
4. Juan Carlos Escotet (Abanca): 4,000 million (+800 million)
5. Juan Roig (Mercadona): 3.9 billion (+500 million)
6. Tomás Olivo (GGC Commercial Galleries) 3.5 billion (+400 million)
7. DANIEL MATÉ (Glencore) 2.9 billion (-200 million)
8. Juan Abelló (Torreal) 2.9 billion euros (+100 million)
9. Leopoldo del Pino (Ferrovial) 2,700 million euros (+1,000 million)
10. Isak Andic (Mango) 2.7 billion euros (+800 million)
36. JOSE MARIA ARISTRAIN (ArcelorMittal and Tubacex) 1.1 billion euros
48. JUAN LUIS ARREGUI (Ence) 780 million (+30 million)
69. CARMEN YBARRA (Onchena) 570 million (+270 million)
72. VICTOR DE URRUTIA (Asua) 490 million (-160 million)
100. ALEJANDRO AZNAR SAINZ (Ibaizabal and Marqués de Riscal Group) 350 million
The next Basque on the list is José María Aristrain, also from Gipuzkoa, whom the Treasury accuses of defrauding 211 million euros between 2005 and 2009, faking his residence in Switzerland. The shareholder of ArcelorMittal and Tubacex, with a net worth of 1.1 billion – the same as last year – has dropped from 23rd to 36th place on a list to which he returned in 2021 after recovering from the stock market crash of 2018 and 2019. In fact According to Forbes, its titles fell below 8 euros in 2020, although they later exceeded 20 euros again. According to the publication, his fortune comes from Aceralia, which absorbed the family company and of which Aristrain retained 11%. Later he joined ArcelorMittal, in which he has a 2% stake (409 million). Aristrain also has 10% of Tubacex shares (37.4 million)
Following closely in the ranking is Juan Luis Arregui from Biscay (48th place) with a net worth of 780 million. Despite having dropped 13 positions, he has 30 million more than last year. He is president and majority shareholder of Ence, of which he owns 29.44%. He has, on the other hand, 0.57% of Iberdrola. Between the two they add up to 611 million euros. Ence fell on the stock market by more than 50% between 2018 and 2021, and after recovering 35% in 2022, it has risen almost 8% in 2023.
Further down, in 69th place, we find Carmen Ybarra from Biscay, the only Basque in the ranking, with a wealth that amounts to 570 million. The businesswoman has almost doubled her assets in the last year (300 million in 2022), which has allowed her to climb 29 positions on the list, the most notable increase of the year.
Coincidentally, that same figure, but downwards, has fallen from the Álava businessman Víctor de Urrutia Vallejo (72nd position), owner of Asua and largest shareholder of the Rioja winery Compañía Vinícola del Norte (CVNE) and of the Sicav Rentibilidad 2009. He is also minority shareholder in Iberdrola, Rovi and Proeduca, explains Forbes. His fortune, which amounts to 490 million, has suffered a decrease of 160 million in the last year.
Closing the 2023 Forbes list is Alejandro Aznar Sainz, who together with his family, has one of the oldest fortunes in this ranking and which amounts to 350 million. They are heirs of the Naviera Aznar, founded in 1860 by their great-great-grandfather Eduardo Aznar y de la Sota, bankrupt in the 80s of the 20th century and refounded as Ibaizabal. Alejandro has been leading the Marqués de Riscal wineries in Elciego (Álava) for 29 years, where his family has a controlling position.
This year Fernando Romero, a businessman born in Errenteria, although based in Galicia, leaves the ‘top 100’. The founder and largest shareholder of the renewable company, Energy, Innovation and Photovoltaic Development (EiDF) has seen this year how its shares suffered a collapse of almost 70% after the CNMV suspended its trading for not delivering the accounts corresponding to the fiscal year 2022. It was learned that months before he had changed his usual auditor, Crowe Auditores, to PwC and that she had refused to sign his accounts.
The rich, richer
E. Martinez
Amancio Ortega has been the richest person in Spain for almost ten years, according to the Forbes List, which in the 2023 edition reveals that the founder of the Inditex empire has a net worth of 81.8 billion euros, 53% more than last year. Last year’s top 5 is repeated, with Sandra Ortega, daughter of the first shareholder of Inditex, as the second largest fortune, followed by Rafael del Pino (Ferrovial), Juan Carlos Escotet (Abanca) and Juan Roig (Mercadona).
Together, these five Spaniards concentrate almost half (48%) of Spain’s total wealth, with 102.7 billion euros in total. In total, the sum of the 100 Spanish fortunes in 2023 is 196,000 million euros, 37% more than last year despite the context of the inflationary crisis and economic slowdown in Europe due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In fact, in this edition, the cut-off figure to enter the list has increased by 27% to 349 million euros. The accumulated wealth of the 99 rich people, excluding Amancio Ortega, is 114,000 million, 26% more than last year and generating an average of 83 million euros per day.
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