Impossible though it may seem as the country staggers through the ongoing economic crisis, a new study has shown that Portugal’s rich are getting richer.
The country’s 25 largest fortunes account for 10% of the national GDP (gross domestic products), says Exame magazine.
And while last year the financial elite held a total of €14.4 billion between them, their total wealth this year has been placed at €16.7 billion.
Once again, Américo Amorim (pictured), Portugal’s ‘richest man’ in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, tops the list with a personal wealth of €4.5 billion. The skyrocketing prices of shares he holds in Galp Energia, Banco Popular and Corticeira Amorim has seen him double his money in 2013.
Last year Amorim was ‘dethroned’ by Alexandre Soares dos Santos, the head of Portuguese corporate group Jerónimo Martins, but this year he is back at the top of the pile, albeit closely followed by Soares dos Santos.
