Zara boss world's second richest man

A clutch of fashion, apparel and retail heavyweights and retailers including Zara's Amancio Ortega, LVMH's Bernard Arnault, Wal-Mart's Jim Walton, Alice Walton and S Robson Walton, Nike's Phil Knight, H&M's Stefan Persson are among those named in the Forbes Billionaires List of 2016.

Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who has steered the Foundation to tackle knotty issues like improving health care and the use of vaccines in developing countries, has emerged as the world's richest man with a net worth of $75 billion, according to the Forbes Billionaires List of 2016.In December 2015, at the UN climate talks in Paris, Gates raised his profile on the global stage when he announced the formation of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, a group of more than 20 billionaires who have agreed to invest in innovative clean energy.Spanish fashion label Zara's founder Amancio Oretga is the richest man in Europe and the wealthiest retailer in the world. Oretga who is worth $67 billion, is second on the Forbes list. He started manufacturing textiles through a small family company in 1963 before cofounding Zara with his ex-wife Rosalía Mera in 1975.

American business magnate, philanthropist and the world's most successful investor, Warren Buffet is the third richest man in the world with a net worth of $60.8 billion. Buffet pulled off his biggest-ever deal in August 2015 when his Berkshire Hathaway agreed to pay $37 billion for aerospace and industrial partsmaker Precision Castparts.

Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helu, the world's second richest man in 2015, hit some headwinds in the past year. He took a $27.1 billion blow, making him the biggest dollar loser on the 2016 Forbes Billionaires List. Slim is fourth on the Forbes list with a net worth of $50 billion.

Jeff Bezos, American technology entrepreneur and investor, is world's fifth richest man in the world with a net worth of $45.2 billion.
Facebook founder Mark Zukerberg had the best year among the world's billionaires as he climbed from the 16th position in 2015 to the 6th place in the 2016 Forbes Billionaires List. Facebook's soaring stock price made him the world's biggest gainer, adding $11.2 billion to his fortune in 12 months.French luxury goods brand LVMH's Bernard Arnault is the 14th richest man in the planet with a net worth of $35 billion.

Wal-Mart's Jim Walton, Alice Walton and S Robson Walton follow Arnault at 15th, 16th and 17th positions on the Forbes list.

Reliance Industries Chairman and the richest Indian, Mukesh Ambani climbed three notches up to the 36th position in the Forbes Billionaires List of 2016. Ambani has a net worth of $19.3 billion despite shares of his oil and gas giant Reliance Industries taking a hit due to lower oil prices. (SH)