Zara clothing owner overthrows Bill Gates as the richest man in the world

Spanish clothing magnate Amancio Ortega, 79, over took
Microsoft founder Bill Gates for the first time ever in the
Forbes rich list. 

According to Forbes's real-time tracker, the
elusive multibillionaire founder of European clothing retailer

Zara smashed past Bill Gates to become the wealthiest
person on the planet, with a fortune of $79.8 billion (€71.83
billion or £51.84 billion). 

Bill Gates' estimated net worth is
$79.5bn as of this afternoon. He's expected to take back
his top position from Ortega.

The elusive Ortega isn't as much of a household name as
Gates, but he's quietly ascended the wealth rankings in
recent years, as his company continues to perform well and
expand.

Unlike many of the richest people in the world, Ortega has a
fascinating rags-to-riches story. Born in 1936 during the
Spanish Civil War, Ortega's father earned 300 pesetas a
month, a meager salary.

Ortega's biographer described his memories of a childhood
during which his family could not always afford enough
food. He left school in his early teens, working his way up
from the absolute bottom rung as a messenger boy in a
shop.

It wasn't until he was 40 years old that Ortega got around to
setting up Zara, the fast-fashion retailer that has gone from
strength to strength — first growing in Spain, then
neighbouring Portugal and France, then London. Now it's all
over the globe.

According to Forbes, Ortega's wealth rose by 5.3%, another
$4 billion, over the last 24 hours. That's partly down to a
surge in Inditex shares, the parent company that owns
Zara.

In the last 10 years, the market value of Inditex has risen by
about 570%, the main driver of Ortega's climb up the ranks.
n an odd turn of events, Ortega hasMario Draghi to thank
for his new rank — the head of the European Central Bank's
hints that the ECB would boost its quantitative-easing
programme on Thursday sent shares in the eurozone
surging upwards.

Source: Business Insider