Even the super-rich in Switzerland are feeling the crisis – a little. The combined wealth of the richest in Switzerland still amounts to CHF 820.975 billion. As can be seen in the Swiss “Bilanza” “Richest 300” rankings, the asset loss amounts to CHF 825 million and spreads over the shoulder of 300 who are in very good shape.
Notable though: The small drop is the first since the 2008/09 financial crisis. And it will likely repeat next year, as the signs in the stock markets and the global economy are nothing more than a rebound.
Blocher fortune shrinks by 5 billion
But be it Corona, war or inflation in Ukraine, cheap furniture is always in demand. The family of Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad (1926-2018) has been at the top of the rankings for 21 years. Today, his sons Jonas (56), Peter (58) and Mathias Kamprad manage assets estimated by the “balance sheet” at 54 to 55 billion francs.
But the crisis only hit the top ten of the richest. Industrialists were particularly hit: the Schindler and Bonnard families, for example, were expelled from the private club. If the economy weakens, global demand for elevators and escalators drops significantly. The Blocher family is still far behind, with assets down by 5 billion to an estimated 14 to 15 billion francs.
lucrative ships
But this makes room for new ones. For the rising star of the year, for example, the Aponte family, the managers of the shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company MSC. The entire Swiss high seas fleet consists of only 19 ships of a rather modest size. It cannot be compared to Apontes, which controls 730 ocean giants from Geneva, including 23 luxury cruise liners. Shipping container freight rates have skyrocketed in the wake of the pandemic, driven by disrupted supply chains and increased demand for consumer goods. This makes MSC, founded by former captain Gianluigi Aponte (82), the winner of the crisis among the super-rich, increasing its assets by 11 to 19 to 20 billion francs.
Is everything inherited? Not true! Some of the sons of entrepreneurs and company founders can stand on their own feet quite well. Like Laura Paulus (34), daughter of Logitech founder Daniel Borel (72). The investor is involved with Peak Health Capital in the areas of digital health services, personalized nutrition and child welfare. Along with her husband Michael, she enters the first half of the 300 richest people in Switzerland with an estimated fortune of CHF 1 to 1.5 billion.