Richest People in Dubai 2026: Top 10 Billionaires and Their Fortunes
Hussain Sajwani, the founder of DAMAC Properties, is the richest person in Dubai in 2026, with a net worth of $15.3 billion according to the Forbes 2026 billionaires list. Behind him come Telegram founder Pavel Durov ($6.6 billion) and LuLu Group’s M.A. Yusuff Ali ($5.8 billion).
Dubai is home to eight billionaires on Forbes’ 2026 global list, plus several more UAE residents whose fortunes were built elsewhere. This ranking covers the ten Dubai-based billionaires whose wealth is tied to businesses built in or run from Dubai, with figures from Forbes’ 2026 list (stock prices as of 1 March 2026) unless stated otherwise.
Top 10 Richest People in Dubai 2026
| Rank | Name | Net Worth | Source of Wealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hussain Sajwani | $15.3 billion | DAMAC Properties (real estate) |
| 2 | Pavel Durov | $6.6 billion | Telegram |
| 3 | M.A. Yusuff Ali | $5.8 billion | LuLu Group (retail) |
| 4 | Renuka Jagtiani | $5.6 billion | Landmark Group (retail) |
| 5 | Abdulla Al Futtaim & family | $4.8 billion | Al-Futtaim Group |
| 6 | Abdulla bin Ahmad Al Ghurair & family | $4.5 billion | Banking, food, construction |
| 7 | Waleed Mohammad Al Zaabi | $3.4 billion | Real estate |
| 8 | Mohamed Alabbar | $3.0 billion | Emaar Properties |
| 9 | Hussain Binghatti | $2.5 billion | Binghatti Developers |
| 10 | Azad Moopen | $2.0 billion | Aster DM Healthcare |
1. Hussain Sajwani — $15.3 billion
Sajwani founded DAMAC Properties in 2002 and built it into one of Dubai’s biggest luxury developers, known for branded residences with Versace, Cavalli and de Grisogono. Forbes ranked him 190th globally in 2026, the richest billionaire in the UAE. His son Abbas Sajwani, 26, is the youngest billionaire on the UAE list at $1.9 billion.
2. Pavel Durov — $6.6 billion
The Russian-born founder of Telegram moved the messaging app’s headquarters to Dubai. Telegram has more than 1 billion monthly active users. Durov ranked 623rd on Forbes’ 2026 list. (Forbes’ real-time tracker has valued him much higher at times — around $17 billion — because private-company valuations move with funding rounds.)
3. M.A. Yusuff Ali — $5.8 billion
Yusuff Ali built LuLu Group from a single supermarket in Abu Dhabi into one of the Middle East’s largest retail chains, with hypermarkets across the Gulf, India and Southeast Asia. He is one of the most prominent Indian businessmen in the Gulf and a long-term UAE resident.
4. Renuka Jagtiani — $5.6 billion
Jagtiani leads the Landmark Group, the retail and hospitality conglomerate founded by her late husband Micky Jagtiani. The group runs brands including Centrepoint, Max, Home Centre and Babyshop across the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia.
5. Abdulla Al Futtaim & family — $4.8 billion
The Al-Futtaim Group is one of Dubai’s oldest family conglomerates, spanning automotive (Toyota, Lexus), retail (IKEA, Marks & Spencer), real estate and finance. Abdulla Al Futtaim ranked 891st on Forbes’ 2026 list.
6. Abdulla bin Ahmad Al Ghurair & family — $4.5 billion
The Al Ghurair family built one of the UAE’s first business empires — banking (Mashreq), food, construction and real estate. Abdulla Al Ghurair ranked 954th globally in 2026.
7. Waleed Mohammad Al Zaabi — $3.4 billion
A real estate entrepreneur, Al Zaabi ranked 1,251st on Forbes’ 2026 list. He keeps a lower profile than the developers above him, with his fortune built on property holdings.
8. Mohamed Alabbar — $3.0 billion
Alabbar founded Emaar Properties in 1997 and built the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. He ranked 1,406th on Forbes’ 2026 list. Read his full story: Mohamed Alabbar: The Man Behind Emaar, Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall.
9. Hussain Binghatti — $2.5 billion
Binghatti founded Binghatti Developers, the Dubai luxury developer known for branded towers with Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz and Jacob & Co. He ranked 1,676th on Forbes’ 2026 list.
10. Azad Moopen — $2.0 billion
Moopen founded Aster DM Healthcare in 1987 from a two-room clinic in Bur Dubai. Today Aster runs more than 1,000 facilities across seven countries. Forbes estimated his net worth at $2 billion in August 2026. Read his full story: Dr. Azad Moopen: The Doctor Who Built Aster DM Healthcare From a Two-Room Clinic.
Who Is Not on This List
Two groups are deliberately left out. First, the ruling family: members of Dubai’s royal family are excluded from Forbes’ private-wealth rankings because their wealth is not independently verified in the same way. Second, UAE residents whose fortunes were made elsewhere — Binance founder Changpeng Zhao ($110 billion), Vinod Adani ($20.6 billion), Andrey Melnichenko ($20.4 billion) and Revolut’s Nik Storonsky ($18.8 billion) top Forbes Middle East’s UAE-resident ranking, but their businesses were not built in Dubai.
How the Ranking Works
Forbes’ annual billionaires list uses stock prices and exchange rates as of 1 March 2026. That is why figures differ across sources: real-time trackers move daily with markets and private valuations, while the annual list is a fixed snapshot. Where a person’s wealth is mostly in a listed company, the number is solid; where it sits in private businesses, it is an estimate — and it can swing by hundreds of millions in weeks.