AI, pharma and fintech fortunes reshape subcontinent's 2026 Wealth list
India’s billionaire class is expanding beyond its traditional industrial dynasties.
The latest list now ranks 1,810 people with wealth of at least ₹1,000 crore ($104.3 million), as per by M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026, released Sept. 23, 2026.
Significantly, India now has a record 391 dollar billionaires. The Hurun list ranks several entries as families.
Gautam Adani and family reclaimed the top spot from Mukesh Ambani, while industrialist Lakshmi Mittal climbed sharply and HCL Technologies chair Roshni Nadar Malhotra remained India’s richest woman.
The list also reflects the rise of pharmaceuticals, technology, financial services, data centers, aviation and consumer businesses.
Wealth figures below are from Hurun’s assessment, based on holdings valued (as of Aug. 24, 2026):
Top 10 richest Indians, as per the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026.
Industry: Infrastructure, ports, energy, logistics and airports.Wealth: Rs9.23 lakh crore ($96.1 billion), including family holdings.Latest ventures: The Adani Group continues expanding renewable power, green hydrogen, data centers, airports and logistics infrastructure. Adani’s fortune rose 13% as the group’s listed companies recovered, allowing him to overtake Mukesh Ambani. Born in Ahmedabad, Adani began as a commodities trader before building one of India’s largest infrastructure conglomerates. His businesses now span ports, power generation, transmission, airports, cement, defense and digital infrastructure.
Industry: Diversified conglomerate, telecommunications, retail, energy and entertainment.Wealth: Rs8.63 lakh crore ($89.9 billion), including family holdings.Latest ventures: Reliance continues investing in Jio’s digital ecosystem, retail expansion, artificial intelligence, cloud services, new energy and entertainment. Ambani inherited leadership of Reliance Industries after the death of his father, Dhirubhai Ambani, and transformed the company from petrochemicals and refining into a consumer-technology giant. Jio’s telecommunications platform and Reliance Retail remain central to his strategy, while the group is positioning itself for a large-scale clean-energy transition.
Industry: Steel and metals.Wealth: Rs3.39 lakh crore ($35.3 billion), including family holdings.Latest ventures: ArcelorMittal is pursuing lower-carbon steelmaking, electric-arc technology, renewable energy integration and major international production projects. Mittal built his fortune by acquiring and consolidating underperforming steel plants across countries, eventually creating the world’s largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal. His fortune rose sharply in the latest Hurun ranking, lifting him eight places to third. He remains based in London but retains deep business and philanthropic links with India.
Industry: Vaccines, biotechnology and healthcare.Wealth: Rs3.03 lakh crore ($31.6 billion), including family holdings.Latest ventures: The Serum Institute of India is expanding vaccine manufacturing, biologics and global public-health partnerships, while the Poonawalla group continues developing healthcare and pharmaceutical assets. Poonawalla founded Serum Institute in 1966 with the aim of producing affordable vaccines at scale. The company became a crucial supplier during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers by volume. His son, Adar Poonawalla, leads the operating business.
Industry: Information technology and digital services.Wealth: Rs2.79 lakh crore ($29.1 billion), including family holdings.Latest ventures: HCL Technologies is focused on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, engineering services and digital transformation. Malhotra became chairperson of HCLTech after her father, Shiv Nadar, transferred leadership of the family’s technology empire. She has also expanded the family’s philanthropic work through the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which supports education, culture and research. Hurun identifies her as India’s richest woman and places her fifth overall.
Industry: Cement, metals, chemicals, telecommunications, financial services and fashion.Wealth: Rs2.69 lakh crore ($28.0 billion), including family holdings.Latest ventures: The Aditya Birla Group continues expanding cement capacity, branded apparel, paints, chemicals, renewable energy and financial services. Birla took over as chairman of the group at 28, after the death of his father, Aditya Vikram Birla. He consolidated and internationalized the conglomerate while broadening its consumer-facing businesses. The group’s cement operations, led by UltraTech, remain among its most important assets.
Industry: Pharmaceuticals and healthcare.Wealth: Rs2.65 lakh crore ($27.6 billion).Latest ventures: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is investing in specialty medicines, complex generics, dermatology, ophthalmology and global research. Shanghvi founded the company in 1983 with a small manufacturing operation and built it into India’s largest pharmaceutical company by market value. His strategy has emphasized acquisitions, international expansion and higher-margin specialty products. Sun Pharma’s global portfolio now reaches patients across the United States, India and other major markets.
Industry: Information technology, investments and philanthropy.Wealth: Rs2.63 lakh crore ($27.4 billion), including family holdings.Latest ventures: Wipro is prioritising cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and business transformation, while Premji continues deploying capital through his investment and philanthropic organizations. He inherited Western India Vegetable Products, a cooking-oil company, and transformed it into Wipro, a global technology-services provider. Premji is also known for transferring a substantial share of his wealth to charitable causes, especially education, public health and social development.
