Forbes has published its annual billionaires ranking for 2026, with a record 3,428 people worldwide now holding billionaire status – 400 more than the previous year. 

Their collective fortune reaches $20.1 trillion and at the very top of Forbes’ list, once again, sits Elon Musk, whose $839 billion fortune, built through Tesla and SpaceX, puts him in a league of his own.

Among those listed are two residents of Monaco, ranked 664th and 1,074th respectively.

Stephano Pessina – $6.3 billion

Stephano Pessina, aged 84, has been one of Monaco’s most prominent residents since becoming a naturalised citizen in 1992. His wealth traces back to 1977, when he stepped into his family’s pharmaceutical distribution business in Naples and began an acquisition spree that would span decades.

The endpoint of that journey was Walgreens Boots Alliance, the American-British pharmacy giant he now chairs. The company has faced headwinds recently, with falling share prices and store closures, but Pessina has not stepped away.

David Nahmad – $4 billion

David Nahmad, aged 78, arrived in Monaco via a rather different route. Born in Beirut to a Syrian-Jewish family, he and his brothers gravitated towards art as young men in Milan during the 1960s, eventually amassing a collection that few institutions could rival.

The family is said to hold between 4,500 and 5,000 works, among them more than 300 Picassos, kept in a Geneva storage facility. France has recognised his cultural contributions with the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Away from the art world, he also holds an unlikely distinction: 1996 Backgammon World Champion.

Together the two men account for just over $10 billion, a figure that reinforces Monaco’s status as a place where exceptional wealth tends to settle

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Main photo of Stephano Pessina credit: Wallgreens Boots Alliance