Richard Li
Photo: Will629, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Richard Li Net Worth

Hong Kong telecom and insurance businessman
BillionaireBusiness
Estimated net worth
$6.1B
Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, October 20, 2026. Updated October 21, 2026.

Richard Li’s net worth over time

$4.6B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2019 estimate, 2019$4.6B2019$4.4B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2020 estimate, 2020$4.4B2020$4.5B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2021 estimate, 2021$4.5B2021$4.7B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2022 estimate, 2022$4.7B2022$4.6B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2023 estimate, 2023$4.6B2023$4.5B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024 estimate, 2024$4.5B2024$4.7B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2025 estimate, 2025$4.7B2025$6.9B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2026 estimate, 2026$6.9B2026$6.1B: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimate, Oct 2026. Forbes real-time estimate$6.1BOct 2026

Only dates with a published estimate are shown. Nothing is filled in between. Tap or hover a bar to see the source.

See the numbers as a table
DateEstimateSource
2019$4.6 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2019
2020$4.4 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2020
2021$4.5 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2021
2022$4.7 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2022
2023$4.6 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2023
2024$4.5 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2024
2025$4.7 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2025
2026$6.9 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2026
Oct 2026$6.1 billionForbes Real-Time Billionaires · Forbes real-time estimate

Where the money comes from

Insurancetelecom

These are the main sources of wealth named in the reporting we cite. No published source breaks the total into exact amounts, so we do not show percentages.

Richard Li’s fortune in real-life terms

93,249 years
for the median full-time U.S. worker to earn this much, spending nothing
28,228×
the net worth of the typical U.S. family
0.7%
of Elon Musk's fortune, the biggest on Net Worth Lookup

Based on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimate above. Median full-time U.S. pay is $65,416 a year ($1,258 a week, BLS, Q2 2026), before taxes. Typical (median) U.S. family net worth is $216,100 (Federal Reserve, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances).

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Richard Li has an estimated net worth of $6.1 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Richard Li profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $4.6 billion in 2019.

Richard Li is a Hong Kong businessman who built major companies in media, telecom, and insurance. He first drew wide attention in 1991 when he started Star TV with $110 million and later sold it to Rupert Murdoch. In 1993, he founded Pacific Century Group, an investment company with interests in finance, technology, and property. He also went on to establish PCCW and HKT, two businesses that became central parts of Hong Kong’s communications market.

Much of Li’s wealth comes from telecom and insurance. Through PCCW, he built a communications and media business that controls HKT, Hong Kong’s largest mobile phone operator. Pacific Century later expanded into asset management and insurance, including PineBridge Investments and FWD Group. FWD was founded in 2013 and operates across Asia, including Hong Kong and Singapore. Forbes put his net worth at $6.1 billion on its real-time tracker as of October 20, 2026.

How Richard Li built his fortune

Li’s career took off with Star TV, a pan-Asian television network he started in 1991. He sold the company to Rupert Murdoch, then used the proceeds to launch Pacific Century Group in 1993. That company became the base for investments across finance, technology, property, media, and telecommunications. He later founded PCCW in 1996 and remained chairman as it grew into a major Hong Kong communications company tied closely to HKT.

Insurance became another big part of his business. In 2010, Pacific Century acquired AIG Investments and renamed it PineBridge Investments. In 2013, the group founded FWD after buying insurance operations from ING for $2.1 billion. FWD expanded across Asia and went public in Hong Kong in 2025. Li has also added tech investments, including bolttech and MoneyHero, to broaden his portfolio.

Forbes net worth and recent money moves

Forbes valued Li at $4.6 billion in 2019, $4.4 billion in 2020, $4.5 billion in 2021, $4.7 billion in 2022, $4.6 billion in 2023, $4.5 billion in 2024, and $4.7 billion in 2025. On the 2026 Forbes World’s Billionaires List, that estimate rose to $6.9 billion. Forbes later showed $6.1 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker in October 2026.

Recent deals help explain why his money story has stayed focused on insurance and finance as well as telecom. Pacific Century owns a majority stake in FWD, and its 2025 Hong Kong listing was a major milestone. That same year, a unit of MetLife acquired PineBridge Investments, an asset manager majority-owned by Li, for $1.2 billion enterprise value. Alongside those moves, he has kept building tech positions through companies such as bolttech and MoneyHero.

Career and money timeline

  1. 1991

    He started Star TV with $110 million.

  2. 1993

    He founded Pacific Century Group after selling Star TV.

  3. 1996

    He established PCCW, later a major Hong Kong telecom company.

  4. 2010

    Pacific Century acquired AIG Investments and renamed it PineBridge Investments.

  5. 2013

    Pacific Century founded FWD Group after buying insurance operations from ING.

  6. 2025

    FWD went public in Hong Kong.

  7. 2025

    A MetLife unit acquired PineBridge Investments for $1.2 billion enterprise value.

Richard Li net worth FAQ

What is Richard Li's net worth?

Richard Li's net worth is an estimated $6.1 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Richard Li profile (October 20, 2026). It is an estimate, not an official figure.

How did Richard Li get so rich?

The main sources named in the reporting we cite are: Insurance, telecom.

Is Richard Li a billionaire?

Yes. Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimates Richard Li is worth $6.1 billion.

How has Richard Li's net worth changed?

The earliest published estimate we track is $4.6 billion (2019, Forbes World's Billionaires List 2019). The latest is $6.1 billion (October 20, 2026).

What companies is Richard Li best known for?

He is best known for Pacific Century Group, PCCW, HKT, FWD, and PineBridge Investments. Star TV was his early breakthrough in the 1990s.

What is Richard Li's latest Forbes net worth?

Forbes showed Richard Li at $6.1 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026. Forbes also estimated him at $6.9 billion on the 2026 World’s Billionaires List.