Li Ka Shings Net Worth : Career & Charity

The world’s leading port investor, developer of the largest health operator, and beauty retailer in Europe and Asia, Li Ka Shing’s net worth is a staggering $34 billion as of 2023.

With his estimated wealth of US$33.5 billion, Li Ka Shing is the richest person of East Asian heritage and the ninth richest person in the world. He is based in Hong Kong and is one of China’s most prominent individuals.

In Hong Kong, where his global firm is situated, Li Ka Shing’s net worth has given him the nickname “Superman.” Even though Li is Asia’s wealthiest person, he did not have an easy road.

Due to the Japanese invasion of China, his family was forced to flee China when he was just 12 years old, and the entire family relocated to Hong Kong.

Because Li was too young when his father died and cared for the family, he had minimal opportunity to receive a formal education.

Who’d have guessed that his first step to Li Ka Shing’s net worth was selling plastic watchbands, flowers, and belts to supplement his daily food budget?

Li was fortunate enough to start Cheung Kong Industries when he was in his early twenties, in 1950, and within a few years, he had become a well-known figure in Hong Kong, accumulating Li Ka Shing net worth.

Li built his first real estate investment company in Hong Kong, launched on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972 from industrialized plastics.

Quick Facts

So, let’s get to know Liam Neeson a little better, starting with some basic facts about him.

Early Life: Li Ka-Shing

Sir Li Ka-Shing was born in Chao’an, Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, China, on June 13th, 1928. Li and his family were refugees in Hong Kong during the Sino-Japanese conflict.

Ka-Shing started working at the age of 15 to help support his family when his father died of TB. Before launching his own business in 1950, he worked for a plastics trade company for 16 hours per day.

Cheung Kong Industries began as a plastics manufacturer, but it swiftly moved into real estate investment. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed CK Industries in 1972.

Ka-Shing grew his firm by acquiring companies like Hutchison Whampoa and Hong Kong Electric Holdings Limited in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Li Ka-Shing’s Net Worth and Income

Li Ka-Shing’s Net Worth

The world’s leading port investor, developer of the largest health operator, and beauty retailer in Europe and Asia, Li Ka Shing’s net worth is a staggering $34 billion as of 2023.

Li gained from his interest in the U.S.-listed videoconferencing firm Zoom, even if the share price of his property developer CK Asset Holdings fell by 27%.

Furthermore, while the collective wealth of the tycoons on the 2021 Forbes Hong Kong Rich List climbed by 7.5 percent to US$331 billion, up from US$308 billion last year, more than half of them saw their net worth plummet due to the epidemic.

In 2020, Hong Kong’s GDP dropped by 6.1 percent, its worst performance since the Asian financial crisis of 1998.

According to Forbes Asia, stock market gains gave some relief, with the benchmark Hang Seng index up 5% since fortunes were last tested 13 months ago.

Li Ka-Shing’s Income

Li Ka-top Shing’s executive gets HK$100 million a year plus bonuses, making him one of Hong Kong’s highest-paid executives.

Since 1999, when Li’s Hutchison made a record profit of HK$117.3 billion, Li has routinely written large cheques to his right-hand man Canning Fok Kin-ning, who is in charge of the European mobile empire.

The 66-year-old CK Hutchison co-managing director earned another HK$210.53 million in 2017, up 5% from the previous year. Last year’s bonus was a stunning HK$197 million, clearly making him the king of all Hong Kong workers.

Fok has earned roughly HK$3.2 billion since becoming a director of Li’s company in 1985, with an annual salary of HK$200 million.

Fok earned more than HK$500,000 each day, which is more than three years’ wage for the ordinary Hong Kong worker, who earns HK$15,500 per month.

In other words, a typical worker would need 1,095 years to earn what he made in a year. He also made a lot more money than the majority of Hong Kong’s listed company owners.

Fok, without a doubt, has the biggest tax bill in Hong Kong, given the amount of money he has amassed.

He is, however, overshadowed by Tencent Holdings President Martin Lau Chi-ping, who owns nearly HK$19 billion in shares in Hong Kong’s largest corporation.

Li Ka-Shing’s Net Worth in Different Currencies

Let’s take a look at Li Ka-Shing’s Net Worth in several currencies, including BitCoin, the cryptocurrency.

Li Ka-Shing: House, Cars, Yachts, Private Jets, Watch

House

Over the course of his business career, Li has been involved in several important real estate transactions. Among his most famous transactions is the sale of “The Center,” Hong Kong’s fifth-tallest skyscraper.

He sold the skyscraper for $5.15 billion, making it the largest office real estate transaction in Asia-Pacific history. Later, he sold the Century Link complex in Shanghai for $2.95 billion, the world’s second-largest real estate transaction for a single structure.

After landing a property development contract in Hong Kong, Ka-Shing spent $4.6 billion on his first land acquisition in two years in 2018.

He had previously paid $248 million for a home plot in Hong Kong in 2016. This was at a period when, despite soaring real estate prices in Mainland China, buyers in Hong Kong looked less interested in purchasing large expanses of land.

In 2019, Ka-Shing made headlines when he paid $5.5 billion for the English brewery Greene King. This acquisition happened not long after the Brexit announcement, and it left many onlookers perplexed.

Li’s business was permitted to start building on a $1.26 billion housing development project in London in 2020. The Convoys Wharf project, located on a former royal dockyard, plans to build 3,500 residences in London.

Ka-Shing had bought the site for 100 million pounds 15 years before and battled to approve the grandiose project.

Shou Ji Tianfu

The richest guy in Asia lives a lavish lifestyle with all of the creature amenities that money can buy. Li and his family recently relocated from Deep Water Bay to Hong Kong’s Southern District Hill.

The mansion is composed of white marble and is located in Shou Ji Tianfu. There are numerous rooms in the great mansion, as well as a lovely garden. The mansion is situated in the picturesque grandeur of the ocean park and has a total area of 45000 sq. ft.

The house was constructed in the style of large mansions and is totally designed according to Feng Shui, as Li believes in Chinese interior design.

Cheung Kong Centre

Apart from his house in Shou Ji Tianfu, Li Ka Shing also has a sumptuous pad in Cheung Kong Centre, which is arguably the most exclusive area in all of Hong Kong, and which Li purchased for 4.5 billion RMB.

Located in Shanghai’s Center, which is both the city’s heart and the most expensive location at the same time.

The complete structure covers an area of 87300 square meters and has a height of 40 stories. Each pad has an average ceiling height of 2.9 meters and 20 intelligent elevators. There are almost 300 parking spaces in the structure, 263 of which are subterranean.

Cars

Li Ka-Shing, a Hong Kong tycoon, has agreed to purchase indirect ownership in a Japanese electric car manufacturer, diversifying his investments in an industry that is expected to benefit from China’s push to phase out gasoline and diesel vehicles.

Electric vehicle sales have soared in the world’s largest automotive market, thanks to strong government backing, leading global automakers to expand their non-emission vehicle ranges.

The need has attracted funding from a slew of startups and firms outside of the industry, including an unsuccessful attempt by China’s largest air-conditioner manufacturer.

Li’s investment in O Luxe, and thus GLM, gives him access to the top end of the electric vehicle market, which Chinese firms like NIO and Beijing CH-Auto Technology are vying for. Tesla now dominates with its imported Model S.

The competition to sell more electric vehicles is expected to heat up even more after China said on September 9 that it would set a deadline for automakers to stop selling vehicles that use fossil fuels.

O Luxe shares soared as much as 6.1 percent to HK$1.74 (17p) on news of Li’s investment via Ocean Dynasty Investments, the highest intraday price since June 2013.

This isn’t the first time the Hong Kong mogul has invested in electric vehicles. His global business empire covers ports, retail, and telecoms. He purchased a stake in FDG Electric Vehicles, a Chinese electric-van and bus manufacturer, in 2015.

BMW7

A BMW 7 series is Li Ka-vehicle. Shing’s True, the common BMW 7-series may be seen in many cities, but Li Ka-car shing’s is anything but regular. From the outside, it looks like any other BMW 7-series, but there’s something special about it on the interior.

There are numerous distinctions. The first batch of BRV2009 approved models is Li Ka-BMW Shing’s 7 Series. Many folks may not fully comprehend this.

In actuality, the goal of this certification is to certify civilian bulletproof automobiles. The certification coefficient for typical bulletproof vehicles is still low, but this one is quite high because whatever is on this BMW is bulletproof.

The chassis, frame, and glass are all made of bullet-proof materials, especially the glass, which is 6 cm thick and difficult to penetrate even with a 7.62 round within 10 meters.

The price of this BMW 7 Series is naturally more than the usual BMW because of its superior safety performance.

The ordinary BMW 7 Series costs more than one million yuan. Still, this car costs around ten million yuan, comparable to some of the most expensive supercars, but money isn’t an issue for Li Ka-Shing.

Yacht

Li Ka Shing enjoys boating and owns a Sunseeker luxury yacht. Sunseeker Yachts has been building luxury motor yachts in the United Kingdom since 1979.

Since 1999’s World Is Not Enough, Sunseeker yachts have been featured in James Bond films, including Casino Royale and the most recent film, Die Another Day, Quantum of Solace.

Li’s boat has a maximum capacity of 12 passengers and is planned, manufactured, and furnished to the greatest of standards. A master bedroom, a VIP cabin, three double cabins, and one twin cabin on his yacht.

The yacht also boasts a large salon and formal dining area that seats 12 charter guests, along with the most opulent amenities.

Private Jet

Li ka Shing enjoys flying and owns a Gulfstream 550, one of the most luxurious private planes available.

The G550 has a range of 6,750 nm, and its first flight was from Seoul, South Korea, to Orlando, Florida, powered by improved Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines.

The flight deck on the Gulfstream 550 is believed to be the most advanced in business aviation.

It can seat up to 18 passengers at a time because of its four unique living rooms.

Watch

Despite being Asia’s richest man, Li Ka Shing adheres to a principle of simple life and lofty thinking. Li is never spotted wearing luxury clothing or posing with pricey items.

His shoes, tie, spectacles, and even wristwatches are Seiko timepieces, which he wears on a budget. Seiko is a Japanese watchmaker that was established in 1881.

The timepieces are attractive but not exorbitantly priced; the most costly Seiko timepiece costs $554,000.

Li Ka-Shing: Lifestyle

A young Chinese youngster who had to work in low-profile professions to support his family has become a powerful name worldwide and enjoys a lavish lifestyle.

Li Ka Shing’s enormous net fortune enabled him to purchase a sprawling yacht called the “Sunseeker yacht” as well as a spectacular residence in Shou Ji Tianfu.

Because Li enjoys flying, he also has a luxury private plane, the Gulfstream 550, one of the world’s most comfortable private planes – thanks to Li Ka Shing’s wealth. Li has two sons, both of whom are successful businessmen in Hong Kong.

Despite his affluent lifestyle, Li is known for his modest clothing sense, as he once wore a $50 Citizen Watch Co. timepiece in the 1990s and is still not a brand-aware man.

With his money overshadowing so much of what else Li can teach us, we felt it would be a good idea to get back to fundamentals and look at some of the life and business skills he can impart.

Of course, Li’s fervor and desire to improve himself wasn’t just wishful thinking. He had a game plan for the journey ahead, and it was as simple as making sure he was up to date on everything.

Plastic Manufacturing, Asset Trading, IT, Other Business Ventures

Plastic Manufacturing

Li launched a plastic manufacturing company in Hong Kong in 1950 with personal savings and monies borrowed from relatives after learning how to manage a factory.

Before deciding to serve the globe with high-quality plastic flowers at reasonable prices, Li devoured trade periodicals and business news. Li learned how to combine colors with fake flowers that look like genuine flowers.

He prepped the plant for a visit from a significant overseas buyer after retooling his shop and hiring the best technicians he could locate. The buyer was so impressed with Li’s plant that he made a hefty order.

Li became Asia’s largest supplier of plastic flowers a few years later, and he made a fortune selling them.

Asset Trading

The CK Hutchison Group is noted for its expertise in asset management. It establishes new businesses and then sells them when it sees an opportunity to increase shareholder wealth.

In 1999, the sale of its stake in Orange to Mannesmann Group resulted in a tremendous profit of $15.12 billion. When he sold 20% of Hutchison’s ports division to Singapore’s rival PSA Corp. in 2006, Li made a $3.12 billion profit on a $4 billion deal.

A subsidiary of the business, Hutchison Telecommunications, sold a 67 percent controlling stake in Hutchison Essar, an Indian joint venture mobile operator, to Vodafone for $11.1 billion.

IT

Li has also entered the technology sector, with his Horizons Ventures investment and venture capital firm concentrating on new internet and technology startup companies, including a stake in doubleTwist.

His second company, the Li Ka Shing Foundation, purchased a 0.8 percent investment in Facebook for $120 million in two rounds and spent an estimated $50 million in Spotify, a music streaming service.

Li Ka-Shing sponsored a $15.5 million Series B round of investment for Siri Inc. between late 2009 and early 2010.

Summly, a website summary app, was acquired by Horizons Ventures in 2011. At just fifteen years old, Summly’s founder, Nick D’Aloisio, became the world’s youngest individual to accept a venture capital investment.

Horizons Ventures invested $2.3 million in Wibbitz in 2012, a startup that delivers text-to-video technology that can turn any web article, post, or feed into a video in seconds. Li bought Ginger Software Incorporated in August 2012.

Horizons Ventures invested $30 million in Zoom Video Communications as part of a Series C investment round in February 2015. Impossible Foods raised $108 million in Series D funding later that year, and Li was a part of it.

Horizons Ventures sponsored a $55 million Series A round in Blockstream, the leader in blockchain-related technologies, in 2016 and invested in Expa, a startup incubator fund that works with founders to establish new firms.

Other Business Ventures

Apart from his business ventures with CK Asset Holdings and CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, Li Ka-Shing has also made significant real estate investments in Singapore and Canada.

In addition, he is the main shareholder of Husky Oil, a major energy firm situated in Alberta, Canada.

Li announced plans to sell his CAD 1.2 billion interest in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in January 2005, with all earnings going to Li’s private philanthropic charities.

It includes the Hong Kong-based Li Ka Shing Foundation and the Toronto-based Li Ka Shing Foundation.

Since 1980, Li has served as a non-executive director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, rising to become the bank’s Deputy Chairman in 1985. In 1991–1992, he was also the Deputy Chairman of HSBC Holdings.

According to Bloomberg, in July 2021, he had a net worth of 35.3 billion dollars.

Career

With personal savings and monies borrowed from relatives, Li launched a plastic manufacturing company in Hong Kong in 1950.

Before deciding to serve the globe with high-quality plastic flowers at reasonable prices, he researched trade periodicals and business news.

He decided to buy a plot of land and build his own factory building eight years later. People fled to Hong Kong as a result.

Li believed that the political situation would pass and property values would soon rise, so he bought cheap land from fleeing inhabitants.

Cheung Kong Holdings was the name he gave to his real estate company in 1971. Li has declared several times that his ambition is to surpass Hongkong Land, which Jardines own.

The company grew to be extremely profitable, and in 1984 it relocated its legal headquarters from Hong Kong to another British overseas jurisdiction.

Controversy

Victor Li, Li’s son, was kidnapped in 1996 by Cheung “Big Spender” Tze-Keung, a known Hong Kong mobster.

Cheung sought HK$1 billion in ransom, which Li agreed to pay in full. Instead of filing a police report, Ka-Shing had the inquiry taken over by Mainland authorities.

Cheung was apprehended and executed by mainland Chinese police. Because the death penalty would not have been permissible under Hong Kong law, others speculate that Li let the Mainland police handle the case on purpose.

Over the years, Li has clashed with Mainland Chinese political officials.

Despite having been a pro-Beijing personality for most of his life, Ka-Shing urged for peace during the 2019-20 Hong Kong demonstrations, requesting that the government address the demonstrators without resorting to violence or injury.

Later, he was chastised by Chinese state-run media for contentious remarks of a different type.

The Chinese media also chastised him in 2015 for selling off premium properties in Beijing and Shanghai to diversify his portfolio and focus more on the West.

The charges grew increasingly serious, with some outlets calling Li’s behavior “immoral” and “ungrateful.”

Also, read about  Kristen Stewart’s Net Worth: Lifestyle & Career.

Charity

Li Ka Shing foundation

As a self-made millionaire, Li Ka Shing is a great philanthropist. Li established the Li Ka Shing Foundation, a Hong Kong and Canada-based charity organization, in 1980.

The trust’s goal is to foster “a culture of giving” among the underprivileged and oppressed. The organization focuses primarily on capacity building via education and the development of a caring society through medical care.

The group also looks to the poor’s medical needs. The foundation has helped a lot of individuals and has provided $ 990 million to various charities.

Center for learning and knowledge

Since the 1980s, Li has been a long-time supporter of Stanford University, and the new Li Ka-Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge, part of the School of Medicine, is named after him.

This facility combines cutting-edge medicine, modern education, and innovative technology to assist students in constructing a better future.

With such a large grant, the center provides opportunities for Stanford University School of Medicine academics and workers to teach in novel and engaging ways.

2008 Sichuan earthquake

A catastrophic earthquake struck Sichuan in 2008, killing 68,000 people and destroying millions of dollars worth of property.

Many wealthy and well-known people gave money to aid relief operations, and Li Ka Shing was one of the largest donors, donating $3.85 million alone.

3 Interesting Facts About Li Ka-Shing

• Li Ka-Shing e was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal.
• Similar to Google, which Sergey Brin co-founded, he made a lot of money with technology.
• He started working for a wealthy relative at Hong Kong’s Chung Nam Watch Co. after finishing school and married the daughter of his boss.

FAQS

Is Li Ka-Shing suffering from a terrible illness?

Li Ka-Shing, Hong Kong’s richest billionaire, is accused of being critically ill and authored the “Sunset Ballad” while lying in his bed! He laments the fact that many things are discovered too late. He wrote this “Sunset Ballard” to share with all retirees now that he has free time!

What is Li Ka-Shing up to these days?

After retiring as Chairman of the Board in May 2018, he is now a senior advisor for CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings; through them, he is the world’s leading port developer, investor, and operator of Asia’s and Europe’s largest health and beauty shop.

What was Li Ka-investment Shing’s in zoom?

Li’s investment in the California-based video conferencing tech company, which he owns 8.5 percent of, is now worth US$11 billion, accounting for a third of his net worth. Li made two investments in the company, the first in 2013 and the second in 2015.

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