The UAE has established itself as one of the world’s leading destinations for mobile wealth, and this year’s list makes the point more clearly than ever: some billionaires, though not of Arab origin, now call the Middle East home.

Forbes Middle East’s 2026 ranking of ‘The Richest Residents in the UAE’ features 17 billionaires from five countries of origin, with a combined net worth of $212.6 billion.

The list is anchored by Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. He ranks 17th globally with a net worth of $110 billion and alone accounts for 51.7% of the list’s combined wealth. Excluding CZ, the remaining 16 billionaires hold a combined $102.6 billion – still a figure that exceeds the billionaire pools of many countries.

India is the most represented nationality, with nine billionaires worth a combined $49.9 billion. Their fortunes span retail, construction, real estate, healthcare, and education – sectors that have helped shape the UAE’s physical and economic growth for decades. Russia follows with three billionaires, while the UK and Canada each contribute two. Mirwais Azizi, founder of Azizi Developments, is the only Afghan billionaire on the list.

Real estate has the highest number of billionaires, with three names and a combined wealth of $7.5 billion. Finance and investments, however, account for the largest share of wealth at $128.8 billion, despite including only two billionaires.

The youngest people on the list are Nik Storonsky and Pavel Durov, both 41. The oldest is Dhruv Sawhney, at 81. The average age is 61.9.

Net worths are as of March 1, 2026, based on Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List 2026.