Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, who turned a small commodities trading business into a conglomerate spanning ports, mines and green energy, is now Asia’s richest man.

The 59-year-old tycoon’s net worth reached $88.5 billion on Monday, surpassing compatriot Mukesh Ambani’s $87.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Adani’s personal wealth rose by nearly $12 billion, making him the world’s biggest gainer this year.

The coal giant – whose controversial Australian mine project has come under fire from climate activists including Greta Thunberg – is increasingly looking beyond fossil fuels to expand. He is moving into renewable energy, airports, data centres and defence contracting – priorities that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also sees as critical to nation building and achieving the country’s long-term economic goals.

Deepak Jasani, head of retail research at Mumbai-based brokerage HDFC Securities Ltd., said: “Adani Group discovered and entered all the industries that were going on at the right time, which attracted a select batch of foreign investment. Portfolio investors.” These industries are capital-intensive, and companies have little difficulty raising capital to expand. “
Some of Adani Group’s listed shares have surged more than 600% in the past two years as he bets his push for green energy and infrastructure will pay off as Modi looks to revive the $2.9 trillion economy and get it ready by 2070. Achieving India’s net-zero carbon target by 2020. MSCI Inc.’s decision to include more Adani companies in its India benchmark index also means any fund tracking the index will have to buy the shares.

While 2020 was the year of Ambani — his oil and petrochemical conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. made a billion-dollar fortune by bringing in Facebook and Google Inc. as tech hubs for investors — the pendulum has since turned in Adani’s favor.

Two Indian billionaires — both of whom built their empires on fossil fuels or coal — are now pushing ahead with green energy projects. Ambani has pledged to spend $10 billion over the next three years as part of a $76 billion renewable energy spending plan. Adani has pledged to invest $70 billion by 2030 to help his group become the world’s largest renewable energy producer.

Companies including Total SE and Warburg Pincus LLC have invested in Adani’s company in 2021. However, the French oil major agreed in January 2021 to buy a 20% stake in Adani Green Energy Ltd. and a 50% stake in an Indian partner’s operating solar portfolio. Great discount. The deal was valued at just $2.5 billion, when Adanigreen was valued at $20 billion.

In March 2021, Warburg said it would invest $110 million in exchange for a roughly 0.5 percent stake in Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd.

Complete News Source : Business Standard