I noticed something interesting while looking at the Forbes 2025 rankings. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud returned to the billionaire list this year with $16.5 billion USD, placing him as the richest man in the Arab world. But honestly, what really struck me wasn’t just the figure—it's the way he builds his wealth.

To understand who Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud really is, you need to know his pedigree. Born in 1955, he is the grandson of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of Arabie Saoudite. That gives some context, but it’s not what made him a billionaire. What’s fascinating is that he was excluded from the Forbes list between 2018 and 2025—a 7-year absence. In 2017, his fortune was estimated at $18.7 billion USD. His return in 2025 with $16.5 billion USD places him at 128th worldwide, but above all, he far outstrips the other Saudi billionaires.

His real wealth comes from Kingdom Holding Company, which he founded 45 years ago. He holds 78.13% of this holding, valued at about $6.4 billion USD. The group itself manages an investment portfolio of $19 billion USD—and that’s where it gets interesting for those who follow investment strategies.

Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud has clearly adopted a well-thought-out multi-sector approach. His portfolio spans 18 different sectors, which significantly reduces risk. In tech, Kingdom Holding is the second-largest shareholder of X (the former Twitter) and has invested heavily in Elon Musk’s xAI. Last year, they increased their stake to $800 million USD through the B and C rounds. He even predicts that this investment in the X-xAI merger could reach $4 to $5 billion USD.

But it’s not just tech. Hospitality accounts for 31% of his portfolio—he owns 23.7% of Four Seasons in a longstanding partnership with Bill Gates (after selling half of his stake for $2.21 billion USD in 2021). He also has 6.8% of Accor, the French group that owns Fairmont, Raffles, and Sofitel.

In the financial sector, his investment in Citigroup dates back to 1991 with $800 million USD—it reached $10 billion USD in 2005. Today, he owns 1.06% of Citigroup and is the largest shareholder of Banque Saudi Fransi with 16.2%.

Real estate makes up 25.9% of the portfolio—Kingdom Centre in Riyad and the Jeddah Tower (planned to be over 1,000 meters, which would make it the tallest tower in the world). Aviation also has weight: 37.2% of Flynas, the low-cost airline that is expected to list on Tadawul this year with a minimum fundraising target of $2 billion USD.

What really impresses me is the diversification. Health, education, entertainment—Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud built an empire that doesn’t rely on a single sector. Education in particular, with 89.8% of the Système Scolaire Kingdom, saw a 14% increase in enrollments last year.

This is a masterclass in investment portfolio management. While many focus on one or two sectors, he plays on all fronts—tech, real estate, finance, aviation, health. And it’s clearly working.