It's interesting to note how Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud has returned to the Forbes billionaire list in 2025 after years of absence. With a net worth of $16.5 billion, he has become the wealthiest man in the Arab world and ranks 128th globally.

What strikes me is not just the number, but how this Saudi prince builds and manages his wealth. Born in 1955, Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud is not only the grandson of the founding king of Saudi Arabia but has built a financial empire through Kingdom Holding Company, a group he founded 45 years ago, which owns 78.13%.

Kingdom Holding is a $19 billion investment machine. What fascinates me is the diversification: it is not concentrated in a single sector. It strategically distributes its assets across three main pillars - stocks and financial investments, hotels and real estate - but then expands into 18 smaller sectors. From financial services to entertainment, from aviation to artificial intelligence.

In tech, Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud and his holding are the second-largest shareholders of X (ex Twitter) and Elon Musk's xAI company. Last year, they increased their investment in xAI to $800 million. He expects this joint venture X-xAI investment to reach between $4 billion and $5 billion in the near future. He has also invested in Meta, Uber, Didi, and other platforms.

Hotels account for nearly 31% of the portfolio. He owns 23.7% of Four Seasons (long-standing partnership with Bill Gates) and 6.8% of Accor, the French giant with over 40 brands like Fairmont and Raffles.

In the financial sector, his historic investment in Citigroup in 1991 with $800 million has grown to $10 billion by 2005. He currently holds 1.06% of Citigroup and is the largest shareholder of Banque Saudi Fransi with 16.2%.

Real estate accounts for 25.9% of the portfolio, with projects like the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh and the Jeddah Tower, which is expected to exceed 1,000 meters in height.

In aviation, he owns 37.2% of Flynas, the low-cost airline operating 61 aircraft and planning an IPO on Tadawul this year with a target of at least $2 billion.

What emerges is a truly multi-sector and forward-looking investment strategy. It’s not just accumulated wealth; it’s wealth managed with a strategic vision over decades. This diversified approach in hotels, tech, finance, and infrastructure is exactly what many try to do but few manage to execute so well.