Fubon's Tsai brothers top Forbes' 50 richest in Taiwan

Taipei, June 5 (CNA) Daniel Tsai (蔡明忠) and Richard Tsai (蔡明興), the brothers who run Fubon Financial Holding, topped Forbes' list of Taiwan's 50 richest for 2025, released Wednesday in New York.

The magazine said Taiwan's economy grew 4.6 percent in 2024, its fastest pace in three years, driven by strong performance in the semiconductor industry.

According to Forbes, the stronger Taiwan dollar pushed the combined wealth of Taiwan's 50 richest up 13 percent, from US$174 billion to US$197 billion.

The magazine said 36 of the individuals on the list saw their wealth increase.

The Tsai brothers, with a net worth of US$13.9 billion, returned to the top spot after a one-year gap with a US$3.2 billion increase, Forbes noted, adding that the rise was driven by a 16 percent gain in Fubon Financial Holding shares thanks to expanding banking operations.

Last year's top listee, Barry Lam (林百里), dropped to second place despite an 8 percent increase in his wealth, which brought his net worth to US$12.6 billion, according to Forbes.

Lam is the founder and chairman of Quanta Computer, the world's largest contract laptop manufacturer by sales volume, according to Forbes.

Coming in third are brothers Tsai Hong-tu (蔡宏圖) and Tsai Cheng-ta (蔡政達), who lead Cathay Financial Holdings with a net worth of US$10.9 billion.

Next on the list is Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of Hon Hai Precision, the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer, with a net worth of US$10.98 billion, according to the magazine.

Rounding out the top five are brothers Wei Ing-chou (魏應州), Wei Ying-chiao (魏應交), Wei Yin-chun (魏應充) and Wei Yin-heng (魏應行), who control Tingyi, one of China's largest beverage and noodle companies.

Brothers Jeffery Koo Jr. (辜仲諒) and Angelo Koo (辜仲瑩), who hold stakes in CTBC Financial Holding and KGI Financial Holding respectively, saw the biggest percentage gains in wealth, with their fortunes more than doubling to US$4.7 billion (ranking 13th) and US$3.3 billion (ranking 20th), Forbes noted.

Three newcomers made their debut on this year's 50 richest list, with two of them benefiting from the global surge in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers.

They include Lin Tsung-chi (林聰吉), founder of King Slide and ranked 24th, one of the largest suppliers of server rails. Lin's net worth is estimated at US$2.9 billion.

The other newcomer is brothers Chao Chung-hsin (趙宗信) and Chao Yung-tsang (趙永昌) of Jentech Precision Industrial, a supplier of cooling devices and other semiconductor components. They rank 32nd with a net worth of US$2.1 billion.

The third newcomer to the list is Chang Chung-hsin (張重興), chairman of Taichung-based Apex Dynamics, one of the world's largest suppliers of high-precision gearboxes. He ranks 47th with a net worth of US$1.51 billion, Forbes reported.