The U.A.E.'s Expat Billionaires 2025

The U.A.E. is one of the world's leading destinations for expatriate high-net-worth and ultra-highnet-worth individuals. The Forbes World's Billionaires 2025 list features 13 such individuals, with a collective net worth of $141.9 billion. Here's a look at who they are.

- SARA JUNAID

1 Changpeng Zhao

Net worth: $62.9B
Global rank: 24
Age: 48
Nationality: Chinese-Canadian
Industry: Finance & Investments

Zhao is the founder and former CEO of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. The Chinese-Canadian coder cut his teeth building high-frequency trading systems for Wall Street's flash boys. Zhao founded Binance in 2017 and still owns an estimated 90% of the exchange plus a stash of its BNB tokens. In November 2023, Zhao stepped down as Binance's CEO as part of a sweeping settlement with U.S. authorities. Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program, paid a $50 million fine, and served four months in prison.

2 Andrey Melnichenko & family

Net worth: $17.4B
Global rank: 115
Age: 53
Nationality: Russian
Industry: Metals & Mining

Melnichenko is the founder of fertilizer producer Eurochem and coal energy company SUEK. The son of a Soviet physicist, Melnichenko dropped out of college when the Soviet Union fell in 1991 to start a chain of currency exchange booths. Two years later, he founded MDM Bank, one of Russia's most successful private banks. Melnichenko's companies have invested some $23 billion into fertilizer and coal production over the past 15 years. Melnichenko was sanctioned by the EU and U.K. in March 2022, and by the U.S. in August 2022; he is currently disputing them. In 2022, Melnichenko's wife, Alexandra, became the beneficiary of a trust that holds stakes in Eurochem and SUEK.

3 Pavel Durov

Net worth: $17.1B
Global rank: 118
Age: 40
Nationality: Emirati-French
Industry: Technology