The two Hungarian billionaires who you never heard of

Forbes.hu released its list of wealthiest people, which includes two Hungarians who have gone under the radar.

For the second time in 10 years, the number of billionaires in the world has dropped. This can be attributed to the increased value of the dollar and the weakening of stock markets.

Based on the most recent calculations by forbes.com, there are 2153 billionaires in the world, 55 less than last year. However, this year Lőrinc Mészáros debuted on the list at 2057^th, joining Sándor Csányi as the second Hungarian billionaire.

How did Mészaros go up in the rankings so quickly? His activity on the stock exchange has undoubtedly contributed to his success, and he is set to overtake Csányi as the richest Hungarian this year. The question is the following: “Will investors be bothered about the fact that Opus’ growth was strongly supported and facilitated by the Hungarian state?” forbes.hu are asking in their special “The World’s billionaires” issue.

There are also two people of Hungarian origin on the list. Béla Szabó left Hungary after completing his high school qualifications and is now an important player in the Scandinavian food retail industry. He specialises soups and sauces and recently opened Europe’s most modern sauce factory, which cost in the region of €20 million to build.

László Kolos also specialises in food. A butcher by profession, he made his name in the Danish food production industry. He built a palace in Hungary, which has been furnished with items from around the world; the flooring is Brazilian, the mirrors are from Russia, the curtains are from the US, and the steps to his gardens originate from Syria.

Forbes.hu’s special issue also reveals that Donald Trump is increasing investment in into two of his properties that he tried to sell previously. Polish businessman Peter Szulczewski is also on the list. He founded Wish, the most downloaded app of 2018. It provides an alternative shopping experience to eBay and Amazon for below-retail prices.

We reported Mészáros’ rise in the billionaire rankings in early March. We also uncovered the growing income inequality in Hungary.

Source: forbes.hu, forbes.com