- [Narrator] If you're
asked to name the world's wealthiest people, you'll likely cite Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. Well, you aren't exactly wrong going with traditional sources such as the Forbes Billionaire List. However, some individuals
aren't on this list but control an immeasurable
amount of dark wealth. The following ten individuals
and families control a vast amount of wealth
but for some reasons, they choose to remain a secret. Say for instance the privacy and wealth were acquired in non-savory ways. Number ten, Isabel dos Santos. Eldest daughter of
Angola's longtime president Jose Eduardo dos Santos,
Isabela dos Santos is Africa's wealthiest woman
valued at $3.6 billion. Back in 2012, Forbes
valued her at $500 million but only last year her valuation increased to over $3 billion. This was not from savvy
investment decisions but rather due to her
father transferring stakes in several Angolan companies to her. Of her over $3 billion net worth, two thirds, or $1.8 billion corresponds to stocks in the Portuguese
oil and gas company Galp. Shares were acquired through Sonangol, Angola's National Oil Company but later transferred to her through backroom dealings. Though Isabel asserts
that her wealth is clean, Maka Angola investigations proved that contrary to her assertions, the shares were acquired
using public funds. Isabel dos Santos has
managed to hide her wealth or better yet how she obtained it using a group of companies. To avoid any direct link to her, Isabel's interests in Galp are held indirectly through an offshore company. Esperaza owns 45% of Amorin Energia which is the largest Galp shareholder with 38.4% ownership. There are a couple of reasons why Isabel Dos Santos would instead not reveal her net worth and how she got it. First, it would lead to
criminal investigations, and second, her deal with Sonangol through Esperaza Holding BV would be ruled null and void and her shares in Galp would revert to the Angolan people. Number nine, Kim Jong Un. Kim Jong Un is said to be
worth around $5 billion. This might not be so noteworthy compared to other individuals on this list but it's still a massive net worth as North Koreans earn an
average of $1800 per year. This wealth was discovered back in 2013 through a joint investigation by South Korea and America. They managed to unearth how Kim Jong Un and his family have managed to hide their ill-gotten wealth by distributing it in over 200 foreign bank accounts across the world. The authoritarian dictator
cannot risk exposing his vast wealth as it
would lead to an uprising against him much like the Arab Spring, which led to the ousting of several long-time leaders. Even so, his leadership is based on fear and brainwashing people. So it's unlikely they can
challenge his grasp on power as easily as citizens
elsewhere have managed to. Number eight, Bashar Al Assad. We all know a bit about the lifetime leader of Syria. Bashar Al Assad, owing to the ongoing
crisis to the country. Al Assad is estimated to be worth between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, but this is only his realizable assets. The actual figure goes well beyond this seeing as Assad and his close friends controlled over 60% of
the country's assets during peace time. The only issue with getting the real net worth of Bashar Al Assad is because his money trail is hard to trace. But sources put his fortune at around a $120 billion. This wealth is difficult to account for, as it's in countries like
Russia and Hong Kong, with lackluster financial
rules and offshore tax havens. Additionally, Assad has deployed a myriad of companies
to disguise his wealth. Nonetheless, to reduce
the risk of seizure, Al Assad cannot disclose his net worth since America and
European nations have made it their mission to freeze Assad's assets to undermine his regime. Number seven, Hosni Mubarak. Another authoritarian dictator, Hosni Mubarak amassed
a vast amount of wealth worth between $40 and $70 billion, during his 30-year rule
as the president of Egypt. This sum is comparable to the value of other gulf country leaders. He didn't squirrel away this much wealth from his salary as he earned a measly $808 a month in 2007 and 2008. So, it's mostly corruption money. Mubarak made his first millions through military contracts during his days as an officer in Egypt's air force which he would later add to when he came into power through corruption and stifling of public resources. His sons who were
instrumental in increasing his vast wealth, took
huge cuts from investing in Egyptian businesses giving
preferred entrepreneurs the capacity to operate as
monopolies in the country. Mubarak has managed to
hide his vast wealth in foreign banks and offshore accounts, while the rest is in real estate, in prime cities such as Paris, Madrid, New York, and London. Nonetheless, he cannot
openly disclose his fortune as it's one of the
reasons he was overthrown, and could increase his criminal charges. Additionally, his
accounts could be frozen. Number six, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. To paint a more realistic picture of the kind of obscene wealth
we're dealing with here, this Sultan owns over 600
Rolls-Royce automobiles and has the world's largest private residence with 1788 rooms. Hassanal Bolkiah is the Sultan of Brunei, and most of his wealth is
from gas and oil sales. Back in the 90s, Hassanal Bolkiah was the world's richest
man worth $40 billion, but this has since reduced to
$20 billion in recent years. The Sultan does not
concern himself with hiding his wealth, since it is tied to him, despite it being regarded
as the country's wealth. He has put much of his
wealth in real estate acquiring properties like monopoly pieces. He owns Asprey, the London
jeweler to the Queen, The Dorchester in London and Hotel Bel-Air and Beverly Hills Hotel in LA. He also pays $21000 for haircuts, something you'll know if you've seen our video on ridiculous purchases made by billionaires like him. Number five, The House of Saud. It's not known as Saudi
Arabia for no reason. It's named after the Saud family that has ruled the country from the 18th century. The family is valued at $1.4 trillion owing to their control of
Saudi Arabia's oil reserves. Nonetheless, it's difficult
to trace their wealth as it's distributed amongst
its 15000 family members through the national welfare program. Although only about 2000
members control most of the wealth, it's
still difficult to trace. Additionally the royal family has managed to keep secret their income sources by designing projects to provide revenue for the King and his full-time brothers. These are highly secretive and subject to no ministry oversight. The Al Saud family cannot risk revealing their actual net worth as it's mostly skimmed from oil. In a meeting with the U.S
ambassador back in 1996, one prince alluded to
revenues from one million barrels of oil per day going
to only five or six princes. Such information would only fuel the anger of Saudi protestors
dissenting for reforms. Also, it would bolster those who believe the Kingdom is ready for a revolution. Number four, Ratan Tata. Head of the TATA group of companies, Ratan Tata is currently
valued at only $1 billion. However, this does not
reflect his real net worth. It's mind boggling how
the head of one of the world's top companies according to market capitalization and reputation, is not amongst the world's wealthiest. The TATA group runs 96 companies of which 28 are publicly listed companies. These businesses also
span all infrastructure industries like banking, steel, chemicals, hotels, power and textiles. Ratan Tata's real wealth
cannot be realized as the companies are run
by the principal company TATA Sons, whose chief
owner is not Ratan Tata, but several charitable
organizations with 65% ownership. This wealth does not show on
Tata's financial statement, but he would be valued
at around $85 billion if it was, making him the
world's wealthiest man. Number three, Carlos Slim Helu. According to some sources Slim is worth $61.2 billion making him the sixth wealthiest man in the world. This is the first time
that Carlos has been out of the top five in nearly a decade. However, his actual net worth could reach $129 billion given the control he has over the Mexican economy. Carlos Slim Helu owns over 200 companies, and it's projected that roughly 40% of the Mexican stock exchange comprises of companies that are under his control. Additionally, Mexico has come to be known as 'Slimlandia' signifying the influence Slim Helu has on the average Mexican. It's quite difficult
for a Mexican to spend a day without contributing
to Carlos' wealth. They're born in his hospitals, drive on his roads, and use his telecommunication services. Most of Carlos' net worth comes from telecommunications and construction. With control of over 80%
of all Mexico landlines and 70% of all cellular companies, Carlos can impose his will on how much Mexicans pay for communication. Between 2005 and 2009
Mexicans were overcharged about $6.5 billion a year for landlines. Also, Slim's dominance earned him $129 billion over the five year period. Though most of Carlos Slim
Helu's wealth is legal, he refrains from divulging its extent as his actions have impoverished
most of the country. It may lead to people
boycotting his businesses. On the other hand you
have to applaud him on his success especially given
that he's done it legally. Number two, Vladimir Putin. The Russian president is
the world's wealthiest and most powerful man, and according to some financier estimates, is worth more than Bill Gates
and Jeff Bezos combined, with a value of around $200 billion. According to Bill Browder, former CEO of Hermitage capital management, Putin has hired over 10000 officials with instructions to kill, kidnap, and extort money from citizens by seizing their properties. Also, Putin uses his political clout to coerce Russian
investors into signing over vast holdings of their companies to him. However, seeing as most of
this wealth is ill-gotten, Putin cannot reveal his real wealth to avoid the risk of seizure. Also, to reduce the risks involved, he has put most of his
wealth in company holdings, real estate, and other people's accounts. Number one, Rothschild Family. With a valuation of over $2 trillion, the Rothschild family is
the wealthiest family in the world and also one of
the best-kept wealth secrets. This family's empire began
with Mayer Rothschild back in the 18th century
when he established banking and finance houses in Germany. With the help of his five sons, the Rothschild bank became the
first to transcend borders. With the careful
cultivation of this wealth, the Rothschilds benefited immensely during the French revolution by funding and providing materials to Austria. They would later evolve
into a multi-national group and become a chief financier
of war and industry. Of the five sons, Nathan
Rothschild would go on to become the most
successful, establishing the central banking
structure we use today. Also, he used underhand
tactics during England's war with Napoleon to cause panic in England which led to the total collapse
of England's stock exchange. At the time, his agents
started snatching bonds at record low-prices and two days later Nathan was in control of
England's stock exchange. According to Investopedia, as of 2015, England was still paying back the Rothschild family for money owed from this Napoleonic fraud. The Rothschilds have
managed to hide their wealth by dividing it amongst the
many members of their family. Finally, they cannot
reveal their massive wealth as it proceeds from wars and only shows the enormous income
inequality in the world. Which secret billionaire
surprised you the most? Also, how do you feel
about their vast wealth? Does it encourage you to work hard? Or, do you think the world's inequality is unreasonable? Let me know in the comments down below. Thanks for watching!
