I noticed something interesting while looking at the latest Forbes 2025 rankings – Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud has made a major comeback with an estimated fortune of $16.5 billion USD. What really struck me isn’t just the number, but how this guy diversifies his portfolio. Clearly, he’s a multi-sector investor who understands the game.

So who exactly is this prince? Born in 1955, he is the grandson of the founding king of Saudi Arabia, and he literally created Kingdom Holding Company 45 years ago. The company currently controls 78.13% of his holdings. After disappearing from the Forbes lists in 2018 (the agency stopped counting Saudi billionaires at that time), he returns this year as the only survivor from that era among the 15 Saudi billionaires present. His global ranking? 128th.

Now, what really interests me is how he invests. Kingdom Holding manages a portfolio of $19 billion USD – as of late 2024 – strategically divided into three pillars: financial stocks, hospitality, and real estate. But it doesn’t stop there. The group operates in 18 different sectors, from finance to AI, aviation, and education.

In tech, Kingdom Holding is the second-largest shareholder of X (formerly Twitter) and Elon Musk’s xAI. Last year, they increased their stake in xAI to $800 million USD through Series B and C rounds. The prince is betting big – he estimates his investment in this joint venture could reach between $4 and $5 billion USD soon. Meta, Uber, Didi, Lyft – that’s the kind of tech portfolio you see with the real players.

In hospitality, it’s almost 31% of the pie. Kingdom Holding owns 23.7% of Four Seasons (after selling half to Bill Gates for $2.21 billion USD in 2021) and 6.8% of Accor, the French giant with over 40 luxury brands. Real estate accounts for 25.9% – Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Jeddah Tower (expected to surpass 1,000 meters), with contracts totaling $1.9 billion USD.

Aviation? Kingdom Holding controls 37.2% of Flynas, a low-cost airline operating 61 aircraft. The prince announced on X that Flynas will go public on Tadawul this year with a target raise of at least $2 billion USD.

What fascinates me about this Saudi prince is the consistency of his strategy. No random bets – each sector follows a long-term expansion logic. Healthcare, education (89.8% of the Kingdom’s School System with a 14% growth in enrollments last year), aviation – it’s genuine wealth-building for generations. The prince’s fortune doesn’t come from speculation but from thoughtful diversification that spans continents and sectors. That’s how you truly build an empire.