The Indian billionaires who increased their wealth the most in 2019 according to Hurun rich list

Networth: $17 billion

Gautam Adani, India’s second richest person, added $9.9 billion to his wealth. This came after “demerger of renewable generation and city gas distribution businesses,” according to Hurun Research. His company, Adani Enterprises saw three-fold jump in consolidated profit to ₹426 crore in the third quarter ending December 31, 2019.

He is also considering a bid to buy debt-laded state national carrier Air India. Last year, his company won bids to operate six airports at Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore.

Networth: $2.3 billion

Another top gainer of the year was NR Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys. His company’s net profit rose to ₹4,466 crore in the quarter ending December, up from ₹3610 crore in the same time last year.

Recently his son-in-law Rishi Sunak became the UK's first Indian origin finance minister — the second most powerful position in the British government.

Networth: $3.5 billion

Airtel founder and chairman added a billion dollars to his family net worth in 2019. His net worth increased to $3.5 billion — all thanks to the woes of another telecom company, Vodafone-Idea. Mittal saw an increase in his wealth after speculation that Vodafone shutting its shop started doing the rounds. The possibility that Airtel can gain from a large market with only two players, added to the value of his company. Airtel’s stock jumped from ₹350 in October 2019 to ₹536 in February.

Networth: $10.6 billion

Radhakishan Damani is the biggest gainer of of 2019 — with 80% increase in his wealth. His flagship company Avenue Supermarts — the firm that owns DMart chain — registered a 53% increase in standalone profit. The shares of Avenue Supermarts have increased 31% until February 18. Moreover, it added ₹36,000 crore in market capitalisation in a year.

Billionaire Uday Kotak got wealthier after he ended a long-pending issue with the country’s banking regulator Reserve Bank of India. The RBI allowed Kotak to keep 26% stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank, though it curtailed the voting rights of the founding family. On January 31, the day after the decision came, the shares of Kotak Mahindra Bank were trading 4% higher.

See also:

Billionaire Gautam Adani is considering a bid for cash strapped airline Air India