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Consumer NZ – Power bills overtake housing as New Zealanders’ second-biggest financial concern

Source: Consumer NZ

6 August 2026

New Zealanders are now more likely to name power bills as a financial concern than mortgage or rent payments, putting power costs second only to food and groceries.

“We have tracked consumer sentiment for more than five years, and this is the first time more people have told us they’re worried about power than about housing costs,” says Jon Duffy, Consumer chief executive. “Energy is now weighing on more households than ever before.”

New research from Consumer has also revealed over two-thirds of people are taking steps to use less energy at home this winter, predominantly because of cost.

“More than half of those trying to use less energy are delaying turning on the heating or wearing extra layers to avoid using power, which rings alarm bells for health and wellbeing across the motu,” says Duffy.

“More than half of New Zealanders say energy issues will influence their vote in the upcoming election.

“For too many New Zealand households, choosing between heating and eating is now a reality.”

The consumer case for electricity reform

Consumer’s newly released report, Power. At what cost? The consumer case for electricity reform (https://campaigns.consumer.org.nz/electricity-report#read-the-report), concludes that the electricity market is failing New Zealanders.

The report highlights that since 1999, when the market as we know it was formed, household power costs have risen by around 177%, nearly twice the rate of inflation. Almost one in five people have cut back on food or other essentials to pay their power bill this winter.

Drawing on the report’s findings, Consumer has developed a four-point plan to lower power bills.

Consumer’s four-point plan to lower power bills

  • End the dominance of the big four power companies – ensure separation of generation (making power) and retail (selling power) so smaller power companies can compete, which should lead to lower prices and more choice for consumers.
  • Make power prices reflect real costs – sort out the market so consumers stop paying high fossil fuel prices for cheaper renewable energy.
  • Invest in more homegrown energy – so we have enough power for years with less rainfall and reduce our reliance on expensive coal and gas.
  • Set a long-term plan together – develop a cross-party energy strategy to put affordable power ahead of politics and vested interests.

Consumer has launched a petition, which closes in two weeks, calling on 100,000 people to back its four-point plan to bring down power prices.

“If you agree it’s time for change, sign our petition (https://campaigns.consumer.org.nz/end-high-power-prices-now) and tell the government you back our four-point plan,” says Duffy.

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Ebola Response Update – August 5, 2026

Source: U.S. Department of State

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

August 5, 2026

The Department of State, in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and in partnership with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and other countries in the region, is continuing to mount a rapid and comprehensive response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. While the trajectory of the outbreak in the DRC remains concerning, the United States commends Uganda for swift and decisive action to respond to the outbreak and limit the spread of Ebola.

Today, the Department is announcing that, working with Congress, it intends to provide an additional $242 million in funding for immediate Ebola response and preparedness efforts in the region and humanitarian assistance related to the outbreak. This additional funding is aligned with the U.S. government’s commitment at the G7 Leader’s Summit on June 16 to provide up to an additional $500 million on Ebola response efforts. The Department of State’s assistance announcements to combat the outbreak have now exceeded $512 million in direct assistance, enabling implementing organizations to expand the ongoing response in Africa. This is in addition to $350 million for critical humanitarian assistance in the DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda, as part of our $1.8 billion in assistance to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced on May 14.

The United States continues to be the largest financial contributor to the Ebola response. This additional funding will enable the United States to continue work with governments, private sector partners, and humanitarian implementers to mount a robust and comprehensive response. The United States continues to call on other donors to dedicate resources toward tackling this Ebola outbreak.

Protecting Americans

The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens. The Department of State continues to operate our dedicated, 24/7 consular call center in order to maintain constant communication with affected U.S. citizens by providing real-time security updates and critical health information.

The Department of State is assisting U.S. citizens who are currently or were recently in the DRC or are otherwise impacted by travel restrictions. This includes providing financial assistance loans to support U.S. citizens who need to change their travel plans and secure temporary lodging in a country outside the DRC before returning to the United States. U.S. citizens affected by the “Do Not Board” restrictions may contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or the Department of State, to request information and/or financial assistance. Loan recipients repay the funds after returning to the United States.

Our Travel Advisory for the DRC, as well as those for Uganda and South Sudan, remains at Level 4 – Do Not Travel. Americans should not travel for any reason to these countries. The Department of State continues to work closely with the CDC, the lead federal agency for this response, to mobilize our global resources in support of this outbreak response, while putting the protection of Americans and preventing Ebola from reaching the American homeland first.

Supporting the Regional Response

Today, the Department is announcing that, working with Congress, it intends to provide an additional $242 million in funding for Ebola response and preparedness efforts in the DRC and Uganda as well as humanitarian assistance related to the outbreak. Through more than $512 million announced by the Department of State, implementing organizations are conducting critical Ebola response and preparedness efforts focused on surveillance and detection, isolation and treatment, border and point-of-entry screening, strengthening health clinics in affected areas, and engaging communities to address misinformation and garner trust in Ebola response activities to help combat further spread.

To date, State Department funding has:

  • Supported 8.6 million health screenings across affected and at-risk countries;
  • Reached more than one million people with risk communication messaging;
  • Supported more than 180 health facilities in Ebola-affected areas and contributed to the direct operation of 12 specialized facilities in DRC to isolate and treat Ebola patients;
  • Procured and distributed nearly 300 metric tons of critical supplies, including personal protective equipment and other critical commodities for water, sanitation, and hygiene and infection prevention and control; and
  • Strengthened diagnostic capacity at 11 operational laboratories across the region.

Additional information about Ebola response, preparedness, and humanitarian efforts supported by the Department can be found on its Ebola Response Updates page.

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Drug Foundation supports focus on early intervention in new govt strategy

Source: New Zealand Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri

6 August 2026

The NZ Drug Foundation is pleased to see a focus on early intervention to reduce drug harm in the Government’s new mental health and wellbeing strategy , released today.

“It’s great to see drug harm and addiction feature prominently in this strategy and to have a very clear focus on early intervention,” Executive Director Sarah Helm says.

“Previous plans haven’t had a strong focus on drug issues and have been less explicit about stopping harm before it happens, so this change in emphasis is good to see.”

Helm says she is particularly happy to see harm reduction approaches highlighted as a priority in the plan.

The strategy and accompanying implementation plan will form the backbone of the health system’s approach to mental health, wellbeing, and addiction for the next decade.

Helm is also positive about the plan’s shift towards a partnership approach to commissioning to improve certainty and long-term funding sustainability for providers in the sector.

“So many critical parts of our harm reduction and addictions sector survive on uncertain, short-term contracts, so a shift towards more reliable and sustainable funding is important,” says Helm.

“There are also a range of other positive measures announced as part of the Implementation Plan, such as an Addiction Prevalence Survey, and increased tailored support for specific populations with additional needs, such disabled people and the Deaf community.

The plan also progresses the previously announced Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm , which includes many initiatives the the Drug Foundation and wider harm reduction sector have long called for, including a peer follow-up service for people discharged from hospital after an overdose, improving access to overdose reversal medication and overdose prevention training, and investing in community-based mutual aid and peer-led services.

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Lifestyle – A First-of-its-kind White Paper Outlining Practical Reforms To Improve Health & Reduce Costs using Physical Activity

Source: Exercise New Zealand

5 August 2026

“We already know physical inactivity is costing our country billions of dollars every year and placing enormous pressure on our health system.”

“The question is no longer whether we have a problem, it's what we're prepared to do about it.”

“We need action, not awareness.”

“These recommendations aren't about politics, they're about better health, lower healthcare costs, stronger communities and a more productive economy”

Exercise New Zealand has released the country's first comprehensive White Paper on physical activity, calling on all political parties to unite behind practical reforms that will improve New Zealanders' health while reducing pressure on the health system and economy. This first-of-its-kind national White Paper outlines practical reforms to improve health, reduce costs and increase productivity, with evidenced based data.

The White Paper comes as New Zealand continues to face declining physical activity levels, with fewer than half of adults meeting recommended activity guidelines. Physical inactivity now costs the public health system more than $600 million every year, while wider productivity losses exceed $2.3 billion annually.

Rather than focusing on raising awareness, the White Paper argues that New Zealanders already understand the benefits of exercise. The challenge is creating policies that make it easier for people to be active throughout their lives.

The paper proposes four practical, low-cost policy recommendations that can be implemented using existing infrastructure and workforce capability:

  • Make registration of exercise professionals mandatory through REPs.
  • Integrate registered exercise professionals into ACC rehabilitation pathways.
  • Remove Fringe Benefit Tax on employer-supported physical activity.
  • Introduce one hour of quality physical activity every school day.

Exercise New Zealand Chief Executive Richard Beddie says the White Paper is intended to move the national conversation beyond identifying the problem.

“This is the first White Paper in New Zealand focused entirely on physical activity and prevention. We already know physical inactivity is costing our country billions of dollars every year and placing enormous pressure on our health system. The question is no longer whether we have a problem, it's what we're prepared to do about it.”

Beddie says the recommendations are deliberately practical, affordable and achievable.

“We need action, not awareness. New Zealanders already know exercise is good for them. What we need now are policies that make being active easier, support prevention, and recognise exercise as an essential part of improving our nation's health.”

Exercise New Zealand is calling on all political parties to support the recommendations ahead of the 2026 General Election, saying physical activity should be treated as a long-term national investment rather than a partisan issue.

“These recommendations aren't about politics, they're about better health, lower healthcare costs, stronger communities and a more productive economy. We encourage every political party to consider how they can support these practical reforms.”

The White Paper concludes that New Zealand cannot continue treating its way out of a prevention problem, and that modest policy changes now will deliver significant long-term health and economic benefits.

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Kaitorete Must Not Become a Launchpad for War

Source: Dr Alvina Edwards and Wiki Martin

Kaitorete Spit is ancestral whenua. It carries the whakapapa of Wairewa and Taumutu, the footprints of our tūpuna, and a responsibility we hold today on their behalf. That responsibility does not end at the boundary of a runway or a launch pad. It extends to what is actually done on that land, who benefits from it, and who is harmed by it.

We support the Tāwhaki partnership between Wairewa, Te Taumutu Rūnanga, and the Crown insofar as it develops civilian technologies and services, aviation research, scientific innovation, and opportunities that build our people's future without costing others. But we are not willing to stand by while that partnership drifts, launch by launch, into becoming a node in someone else's war machine.

That is not a hypothetical concern. It is the lived experience of whānau at Māhia.

What happened at Māhia

Rocket Lab initially told iwi at Māhia that its work would be civilian, satellites for peaceful purposes, nothing more. That assurance did not hold. Rocket Lab has since taken on significant investment from, and contracts with, United States defence-related companies, and a growing share of its activity is now defence-related. Among its customers is Black Sky Technology, whose satellite imagery Rocket Lab has helped launch from Māhia. Black Sky's high-resolution imagery has been supplied to a range of clients, including Israel, and reporting indicates that imagery of this kind has been used to support military targeting in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians, among them thousands of children, have been killed.

Local hapū at Māhia say plainly that they were betrayed. They were told one thing and given another. The land was offered for peace and, in part, used for war.

We will not let that happen again at Kaitorete, and we will not let it happen to us.

Why this matters now

Global rivalry between the United States and China is intensifying across the Pacific, and Tāwhaki itself is now being spoken of publicly in exactly those terms, as a site pivoting toward “defence demands, both domestically and internationally,” courting NATO's interest through STARLIFT, and positioning itself for the Pentagon's push to rapidly replace satellites lost in a war in orbit. This is not a distant, abstract shift. It is happening at the pace of press releases and ministerial briefings, while the people whose whenua is at stake are told about it after the fact, if at all.

We believe that Wairewa Rūnanga does not want to be caught up in taking sides in superpower conflicts that could kill thousands, if not millions, of innocent people. We do not want to support, host, or in any way become part of anyone's killing machine, American, Chinese, or anyone else's. We seek to be peacemakers, not warmakers. That is not a slogan. It is a position with consequences, and we are prepared to hold it.

What we are asking for

We are not asking Wairewa Rūnanga to reject Tāwhaki, or to reject growth, science, or partnership. We are asking that the line be drawn now, in writing, before it is drawn for us by others: a contractor, a minister, a boardroom in another country. Civilian purpose is welcome on Kaitorete. War is not.

Attempts to get clarity on this issue through Official Information Act requests with the Crown have not been successful, hence this motion that will be moved at the Wairewa Rūnanga meeting at the end of this month:

Motion

“That Wairewa Rūnanga welcomes the Tāwhaki partnership between Te Taumutu Rūnanga and the Crown for the development of civilian technologies and services at the Tāwhaki Aerospace Centre on the ancestral whenua of Kaitorete but opposes any activity on our ancestral land that directly or indirectly contributes to war or defence-related activities.”

Explanatory notes to go with the Motion:

  1. Rivalry between the United States and China is increasing in the South Pacific. Our rūnanga does not want to be caught up in taking sides in superpower conflicts that could kill thousands, if not millions, of innocent people. Wairewa Rūnanga does not want to support or become part of anyone's killing machine.
  2. Wairewa Rūnanga seeks to be peacemakers, not warmakers.
  3. Wairewa Rūnanga does not want our ancestral land to be used for developments that support war, as is occurring on the ancestral lands of local hapū at Māhia in Te Tai Rāwhiti. Rocket Lab initially told iwi that it was not interested in defence-related activities and would launch rockets carrying satellites exclusively for civilian purposes. Rocket Lab has since attracted significant investment from, and contracts with, United States defence-related companies, and much of its work is now defence-related. For example, Rocket Lab has launched satellites for Black Sky Technology from Māhia. Black Sky provides high-resolution satellite imagery to a range of customers, including Israel. It has been reported that such imagery has been used to support military targeting in Gaza, where the conflict has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, including many thousands of children.
  4. Local hapū say they have been betrayed by Rocket Lab. We refuse to be betrayed by the Crown in a similar way on the ancestral whenua of Kaitorete.

Dr Alvina Edwards and Wiki Martin are registered members of Wairewa Rūnanga.

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China: Activist arrested over photo of Dalai Lama in Tibet must be immediately released – Amnesty International

Source: Amnesty International

5 August 2026

Responding to the arrest of a Han Chinese man in Lhasa, Tibet – the human rights activist Zhang Yi – Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:

“The arrest of Zhang Yi after he showed a photograph of the Dalai Lama while visiting a monastery is a chilling reminder of how far the Chinese authorities will go to police the peaceful exercise of human rights.

“This case bears all the hallmarks of the Chinese authorities' long-standing misuse of the offence of ‘inciting separatism’ to criminalize peaceful expression in Tibetan areas and in relation to Tibetan history, culture and religious belief.

“Displaying a photograph of a religious leader should never be treated as a threat to national security. The Chinese authorities must immediately release Zhang Yi as he has been detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights.

“Pending his release, they must ensure that he has prompt access to his family and a lawyer of his own choosing. Authorities must protect him from torture and other ill-treatment while in detention.”

Background

According to an arrest notice received by his family on 5 August and seen by Amnesty International, Zhang Yi was formally arrested on 28 July 2026 on suspicion of “inciting separatism” (煽动分裂国家罪). His family was informed of the arrest by telephone on 30 July.

Zhang Yi was detained by police in Lhasa on 1 July 2026 while visiting Sera Monastery in Tibet with his younger brother. After he was unable to communicate verbally with a Tibetan worshipper from whom he wished to borrow a prayer mat, Zhang Yi showed the person a photograph of the Dalai Lama on his mobile phone. According to his family abroad, two plainclothes men observed the interaction and appeared to record Zhang Yi and his brother as they left the prayer area. Police detained Zhang Yi before he had left the monastery.

Zhang’s family received a Criminal Detention Notice issued by the Lhasa Public Security Bureau on 18 July, stating that he had been placed under criminal detention on suspicion of “inciting separatism” and was being held at Lhasa Detention Centre. The authorities have not publicly disclosed the factual basis for the accusation.

Zhang Yi was detained on the same day that China's Ethnic Unity Law entered into force on 1 July 2026. The law contains broad and vaguely worded provisions requiring the promotion of “ethnic unity” and a shared national identity, creating additional legal grounds for restricting the peaceful exercise of human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, religion or belief, and cultural rights.

Amnesty International has repeatedly documented the Chinese authorities' misuse of the offence of “inciting separatism” to prosecute Tibetans for the peaceful exercise of their human rights, including advocating for Tibetan language education and expressing views on religious freedom and the Dalai Lama.

Zhang Yi is a prominent Chinese pro-democracy activist and human rights defender from Wuhan, Hubei province. He first became politically active as a student leader at Wuhan University during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement.

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Every day lost allows the virus to stay one step ahead and more lives to be needlessly lost

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières

MSF Statement on the occasion of the high-level visit to DRC of Dr Tedros Abhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

Geneva – 6 August 2026

“Two and a half months after the Ebola disease outbreak was declared, the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is more critical than ever. The outbreak is spreading at an alarming and unprecedented rate despite the tireless efforts of frontline medical teams.

According to the WHO, 3,605 confirmed cases had been reported by August 1st, making this the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC, surpassing the 2018 epidemic. In just 11 weeks since it was declared, nearly 1,500 people had died. That is a far higher death toll than in comparable periods of previous outbreaks: the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa caused 279 deaths over the same timeframe.

Even more concerning, the outbreak shows no sign of slowing down. New suspected cases are being reported almost daily in new locations, outside already identified transmission chains.

To prevent further loss of life, the response must outpace the current rate of transmission. The international medical response must scale-up without delay, and many critical gaps still need to be addressed.

Undeniable progress has been made in screening and contact tracing, but these efforts remain very insufficient to contain the epidemic. In the MSF Ebola treatment centre (ETC) in Bunia, 90% of admitted patients were not traced contacts, while in the whole of Ituri province only 59% of contacts were traced.

There is an urgent need for improved community engagement. A successful response can only be achieved if it is built with and led by local actors. Without communities at the centre of the response, surveillance and contact tracing will continue to miss cases. Better integration of local communities is essential to ensure cases are detected as early as possible and followed up rigorously.

This outbreak is aggravating an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Malaria, measles, cholera, malnutrition, and other preventable and treatable conditions continue to cause significant illness and death. Continued support for health facilities is also critical so they can keep providing vital healthcare services throughout the response and protect health workers.

Access remains a critical issue, particularly in remote areas where the onset of the rainy season will make movement difficult and risk disrupting operations. Providing medical supplies, as well as incentives and support for frontline health workers, is essential.

Clear assurances are needed that border restrictions, sanitary measures, or administrative burdens will not impede humanitarian staff rotations, medical referrals, or the delivery of supplies.

For now, the situation remains uncertain. Strengthening epidemiological surveillance, improving community engagement, and guaranteeing access for humanitarian personnel are top priorities. The response is expanding but is still not reaching communities quickly enough to break transmission chains.

Immediate action is needed. Every day lost allows the virus to stay one step ahead and more lives to be needlessly lost.”

Dr Philippa Boule, Deputy Medical Director, MSF.

Notes:

More than 1,400 MSF staff members are currently mobilized in the Ebola virus disease outbreak response in eastern DRC. MSF operates seven Ebola treatment centres (ETCs) and more than 15 isolation units in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo, with a total capacity of more than 480 beds. Since the start of the outbreak, our teams have admitted more than 1,362 patients, including 554 confirmed cases, and supported the recovery of 282 survivors following their treatment and care.

MSF supports the Ministry of Health in surveillance and screening activities, community mobilization, training, and efforts to ensure safe access to other essential health services. We also continue to provide primary and secondary health care in several provinces of the country.

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis.

Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians.

MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender.

Médecins Sans Frontières Australia

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KOF Business Tendency Surveys for July: business situation improving across the board

Source: KOF Swiss Economic Institute

Zurich, 08/05/2026, 9 AM

The KOF Business Situation Indicator for the Swiss private sector, which is calculated from the KOF Business Tendency Surveys, rose in July. It had previously fallen for two consecutive months. Business activity is now more buoyant than it was at the start of 2026. Companies' business forecasts for the next six months are also brightening significantly. Overall, the survey results suggest that the Swiss economy is gaining momentum.

Business is improving in almost all of the sectors surveyed, reflecting a fairly broad-based recovery across the Swiss economy. This improvement is particularly pronounced in the wholesale trade, manufacturing, and financial and insurance services. It is less evident in construction, project engineering, other services and the retail trade. The hospitality sector stands out as an exception: the business situation here is worsening noticeably in both the food-service and accommodation sectors. The deterioration in business is particularly marked among accommodation providers in the major towns and cities.

More upbeat business forecasts point to an economic upturn

The business outlook is consistently positive across all of the sectors mentioned, with expectations for the next six months more optimistic than before. Business confidence for the next six months is rising again in the hospitality sector too, even though restaurants no longer expect to see a turnaround for the better in the current quarter. Overall, the results point to a broad-based recovery in the Swiss economy.

Price inflation not rising any further

On balance, firms are planning to raise their prices almost as frequently as in the previous month. This means that price inflation is currently slightly lower than it was in May and June of this year. This July, companies in the manufacturing sector intended to raise their prices more often than before. By contrast, plans to raise prices in the construction sector are now less pronounced and, in the retail trade and other services, slightly less pronounced than they were previously.

When asked for their assessment of general consumer price inflation over the next twelve months, firms show no overall change compared with the April survey: they continue to expect consumer price inflation of 1.2 per cent on average over this period.

The results of the KOF Business Tendency Surveys for July 2026 are based on responses from around 4,500 firms in the manufacturing, construction and key service sectors. This equates to a response rate of around 57 per cent.

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Investment Sector – The 2026 Billionaire Wealth Race: Who Is Getting Richer the Fastest

Source: BestBrokers.com

Paul Hoffman
August 4, 2026

The world’s billionaires continue to accumulate wealth on an extraordinary scale, with many of the world’s richest individuals seeing their fortunes grow by hundreds of billions of dollars in a single year. Others were not so lucky, shedding significant chunks of their net worth over the past twelve months. While the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and technology has created striking gains for some of the world’s most prominent entrepreneurs, billionaire wealth creation extends far beyond tech, spanning industries from finance and manufacturing to retail, energy, and real estate.

This is what inspired the team at BestBrokers to analyse the Forbes Real-Time Billionaire List as of 27 July 2026. To establish an accurate year-on-year comparison, we used the Wayback Machine to retrieve an archived version of the Forbes list dated 27 July 2025 and recorded each billionaire’s real-time net worth. We tracked how each individual’s fortune changed over the year to identify the biggest increases and declines in wealth, while also examining how billionaire wealth is currently distributed across countries and industries.

Where the World’s Billionaires Live

There are currently 3,356 billionaires in the world, with a disproportionate share concentrated in just a handful of countries. The world’s most populous nations are, perhaps unsurprisingly, also home to some of the largest billionaire populations. The United States leads by a considerable margin, with 990 billionaires, accounting for 29.5% of the global total. The country is also home to nine of the world’s ten richest people, including Elon Musk, Larry Page and Michael Dell. Collectively, U.S. billionaires are worth a staggering $8.43 trillion. Canada ranks second in North America with 78 billionaires worth $449.5 billion, with cryptocurrency entrepreneur Changpeng Zhao standing out as the country’s richest billionaire with a net worth of $107.6 billion. Mexico is home to 24 billionaires with a combined fortune of $258.6 billion, led by business oligarch and investor Carlos Slim Helú, whose $125.4 billion fortune makes him the richest person in Latin America.

China is Asia’s largest billionaire hub and the country with the second-most billionaires globally, with 511 billionaires collectively worth an estimated $2.06 trillion. Much like the U.S., China’s wealthiest billionaires are heavily concentrated in the technology sector, led by ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, the country’s richest person with a net worth of $69.3 billion. Hong Kong is home to a further 69 billionaires, whose combined wealth stands at $410.4 billion. India’s billionaire wealth is spread across a much wider range of industries, from conglomerates and infrastructure to pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retail and telecoms, with Mukesh Ambani ($86.8 billion) and Gautam Adani ($85.2 billion) leading the country’s wealth rankings. Other major billionaire hubs in Asia include Taiwan, which is home to 63 billionaires worth $272.2 billion, led by art collector and businessman Pierre Chen ($17.6 billion), and Singapore, with 57 billionaires worth a combined $155.4 billion, led by businessman Jason Chang with a net worth of $20.3 billion.

Germany has Europe’s largest billionaire population, with 205 billionaires whose combined fortunes total $944.8 billion. The country’s richest is Lidl chairman Dieter Schwarz, worth $59.1 billion. Italy is next with 80 billionaires worth $465.0 billion, with cryptocurrency entrepreneur Giancarlo Devasin in the lead, whose $89.3 billion fortune makes him Italy’s richest person. The UK has 60 billionaires worth a combined $278.6 billion, led by hedge fund manager Michael Platt with $20.9 billion. France, despite having fewer billionaires than the UK with 53, has more than twice its combined billionaire wealth at $574.6 billion. The difference is largely driven by the country’s concentration of major fashion and luxury fortunes, with just four billionaires: Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (L’Oréal), Alain and Gérard Wertheimer (Chanel) holding a combined net worth of $311.7 billion, or 54.2% of France’s total billionaire wealth.

South America’s billionaire population is overwhelmingly concentrated in Brazil, which is home to 73 billionaires worth a combined $269.3 billion. The country’s richest is Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, worth $33.1 billion, followed by banking heiress Vicky Safra at $25.3 billion and investment veteran Jorge Paulo Lemann at $19.8 billion. Colombia has six billionaires worth $63.8 billion, led by banking and infrastructure tycoon Jaime Gilinski Bacal with $16.9 billion, while Argentina’s five billionaires are worth $20.7 billion, led by Mercado Libre founder Marcos Galperin with $7.4 billion.

Australia is home to 57 billionaires worth a combined $242.8 billion, led by mining magnate Gina Rinehart with a fortune of $25 billion, followed by property developer Harry Triguboff and mining billionaire Andrew Forrest. Africa is home to 29 billionaires across eight countries, with a combined fortune of $143.2 billion. Nigeria leads the continent with four billionaires worth $53 billion, and it is also home to Africa’s richest person, businessman Aliko Dangote, whose $31.2 billion fortune accounts for more than half of the country’s billionaire wealth. South Africa follows with seven billionaires worth $42.7 billion, led by luxury goods magnate Johann Rupert at $17.6 billion. Egypt has six billionaires worth $23.9 billion, while Morocco has three worth $4.7 billion.

Billionaires Who Gained the Most Wealth in One Year

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, also recorded the largest increase in net worth between 2025 and 2026. After briefly becoming the world’s first trillionaire following the initial public offering of SpaceX, his net worth stood at $725.1 billion on 27 July 2026, up from $405.6 billion a year earlier. This means that his net worth increased by $319.5 billion over the past year, equivalent to roughly $875 million in additional wealth every day since last year.

Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell recorded the second-largest increase, adding $107.6 billion to his fortune over the same period. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin ranked third and fourth, increasing their net worths by $104.3 billion and $91.2 billion, respectively. The scale of these gains highlights just how strongly the world’s largest technology companies have contributed to billionaire wealth creation over the past year, with soaring valuations and investor enthusiasm translating into enormous increases in the fortunes of their founders and major shareholders.

Crypto also produced some of the year’s biggest individual wealth gains. Italian businessman Giancarlo Devasini, whose fortune is closely tied to stablecoin giant Tether, saw his net worth rise from $22.4 billion in 2025 to $89.3 billion in 2026, an increase of $66.9 billion. Other major cryptocurrency billionaires also recorded substantial gains, including Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and Tether executives Jean-Louis van der Velde and Paolo Ardoino, who added $36.4 billion and $29 billion to their net worths over the course of a year, respectively.

DeepSeek Founder Is the Person With the Fastest Growing Fortune

It is one thing to have billions of dollars at your disposal and steadily grow that fortune through smart investments, business expansion and rising asset values. It is another thing entirely to build a multibillion-dollar fortune in the space of just one year. Yet some of the world’s billionaires have seen their net worth increase at extraordinary rates between 2025 and 2026, with the fastest-growing fortunes expanding ten-fold or even more.

Artificial intelligence is at the centre of some of the most dramatic increases. As investment and demand continue to pour into AI models, infrastructure, and applications, the founders and early backers of some of the sector’s most closely watched companies have seen their fortunes surge. Chinese AI entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng is perhaps the clearest example. The founder of DeepSeek, the high-performance AI chatbot that reached impressive compute power at a fraction of the price of leading U.S. large-language models last year, saw his estimated net worth skyrocket from just $1 billion in 2025 to $39.5 billion in 2026 – representing an extraordinary 3,850% increase in a single year, placing him in the top 50 richest people in the world.

The founders of Claude maker Anthropic have experienced a similarly dramatic revaluation. Tom Brown, Jack Clark, Sam McCandlish, Jared Kaplan, Daniela Amodei, Dario Amodei, and Christopher Olah all saw their estimated fortunes rise from $1.2 billion to $15.5 billion, an increase of 1,191.67%. The surge reflects the extraordinary rise in the valuation of the AI company, as investors have poured billions of dollars into the race to develop increasingly capable foundation models and AI applications.

Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of robotics company Figure AI, saw his fortune climb from $1.5 billion to $19.1 billion, an increase of more than 1,170%. Figure AI’s focus on humanoid robots places Adcock at the intersection of two of the fastest-growing areas of technology, as investors increasingly bet on the convergence of artificial intelligence and physical automation.

The gains are also spreading further down the AI supply chain. Chinese telecom and optical component manufacturers have become increasingly important to the infrastructure supporting the AI boom, helping provide the high-speed networking and connectivity required by increasingly powerful data centres. Wang Weixiu, whose fortune is tied to Zhongji Innolight, saw his net worth increase from $4.5 billion to $26.4 billion, a 486.67% increase. Meanwhile, Zou Zhinong of ZTE had his fortune rise from $2.9 billion to $12.5 billion, a 331.03% increase.

But the fastest-growing billionaire fortunes were not exclusively linked to artificial intelligence or technology. Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Greek yoghurt brand Chobani, reached $12.5 billion in estimated net worth (up 443.48% from 2.3 billion in 2025), while metal-processing entrepreneur Yuan Fugen saw his fortune rise from $3.4 billion to $17.4 billion, up 411.76% in one year. Patrizio Vinciarelli, whose wealth comes from power electronics manufacturer Vicor, more than tripled his fortune, from $1 billion to $4.5 billion (up 350%).

Larry Ellison’s Wealth Was Cut Nearly in Half in a Single Year

On the other end of the scale, Larry Ellison, CEO of U.S. cloud company and tech conglomerate Oracle, recorded the largest one-year decline. His net worth fell from $290.60 billion to $151.90 billion, a drop of $138.7 billion, equivalent to roughly $380 million wiped from his fortune every day over the past year. The decline reflects growing scepticism on Wall Street over Oracle’s aggressive AI spending plans and mounting debt load, with investors increasingly questioning whether the company’s cloud infrastructure growth can justify the scale of its investment.

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg recorded the second-largest decline, with his net worth falling from $245.9 billion to $204.3 billion, a $41.6 billion drop equivalent to roughly $114 million a day. The decline came as investors grew increasingly concerned about Meta’s enormous AI spending, with the company expected to spend as much as $145 billion on capital expenditure in 2026.

Elsewhere, India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani lost $18.5 billion as shares in Reliance Industries weakened, with the conglomerate facing weaker-than-expected earnings, slower growth in its retail business and pressure on its refining operations. Colin Huang’s $12.6 billion decline reflects continuing pressure on PDD Holdings, the parent company of Temu, as the business faced intensifying competition in China and increasing regulatory and trade-policy challenges in international markets. Indonesian tycoon Prajogo Pangestu also saw his fortune fall by $17 billion amid weakness in the shares of companies including Barito Renewables and other businesses in his energy empire; Indonesian stocks linked to Pangestu came under additional pressure after Morgan Stanley Capital International and FTSE Russell both raised concerns around transparency and concentrated ownership.

The Industries Mining Billionaires

Tech is by far the biggest driver of billionaire wealth in 2026, with 511 of the world’s 3,356 billionaires, around 15% of the global total, deriving their fortunes from the sector. Finance & Investments follows with 449 billionaires, while Manufacturing accounts for a further 408. Diversified and conglomerate businesses rank fourth with 267 billionaires, followed by Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare with 256 and Food & Beverages with 241.

The concentration of billionaires in technology is reflected even more strongly in the amount of wealth held by the sector’s billionaires. Collectively, tech billionaires are worth $5.30 trillion in 2026, more than double the combined wealth of Finance & Investments tycoons who collectively own $2.39 trillion. Technology is also home to eight of the world’s ten richest people, including Elon Musk, Larry Page and Jeff Bezos, highlighting the extraordinary fortunes that can be generated by the world’s largest technology companies.

Finance & Investments remains one of the most established routes to billionaire status, with 449 billionaires collectively worth $2.39 trillion. Manufacturing also has a substantial billionaire population, with 408 billionaires and a combined fortune of $1.37 trillion. Meanwhile, diversified businesses and conglomerates account for 267 billionaires worth $1.69 trillion, reflecting the fortunes built across multiple industries and asset classes rather than around a single business sector.

Beyond these leading categories, Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare, Food & Beverages, Real Estate & Infrastructure, and Retail each account for more than 170 billionaires. Together, these sectors demonstrate that billionaire wealth remains highly diverse, spanning everything from healthcare and consumer goods to property and retail, even as technology continues to dominate at the very top of the wealth rankings.

The distribution of billionaire wealth has also shifted significantly over the past year. Technology recorded by far the largest increase, with the combined fortunes of its billionaires rising from $4.28 trillion in 2025 to $5.30 trillion in 2026, an increase of more than $1 trillion in just one year. Finance & Investments followed, with combined billionaire wealth increasing by $263.5 billion, while Manufacturing recorded a $328.3 billion increase, taking the sector’s total from $1.04 trillion to $1.37 trillion.

Several other industries also recorded substantial gains. Cryptocurrency & Blockchain saw one of the fastest expansions in percentage terms, with combined billionaire wealth rising from $189.8 billion to $346.6 billion. Mining & Commodities, Logistics & Transportation, and Telecom also recorded sizeable increases as the fortunes of billionaires across these industries grew during the year.

Not every industry became wealthier over the past year, however. Media & Entertainment was one of the few major sectors to record a decline, with combined billionaire wealth falling from $506 billion to $499.2 billion. The biggest decline came from Canadian billionaire Sherry Brydson, whose fortune fell by $7.6 billion over the year. Her wealth is largely tied to Thomson Reuters, whose shares fell by nearly 18% in February amid concerns over the potential impact of new AI tools on its legal and professional-information businesses.

Consumer Products also declined slightly, from $109.4 billion to $106.8 billion, with Chinese billionaire Chen Zhiping recording the largest individual loss in the sector. The chairman and CEO of vaping-device maker Smoore International saw his fortune fall by $3 billion, from $5.5 billion to $2.5 billion, as the company’s profits fell despite strong revenue growth, with higher costs and increased spending on its own-brand products weighing on its bottom line.

Methodology

To analyse the changing fortunes of the world’s billionaires, the team at BestBrokers analysed data from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List as of 27 July 2026. To establish a consistent year-on-year comparison, we used the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to retrieve an archived version of the Forbes list from 27 July 2025 and recorded the estimated net worth of the same billionaires at that point in time. This allowed us to calculate how much each individual’s fortune increased or decreased over the one-year period.

Using these datasets, we identified the biggest absolute net worth and percentage gains over a 1-year period, while also calculating how much billionaires’ wealth has increased or shrunk on average every day over the past year. We analysed billionaires by country or territory to compare their numbers and combined wealth, and standardised their primary sources of wealth into 24 industry categories. This allowed us to analyse both the distribution of billionaires globally and how combined billionaire wealth changed across industries between 2025 and 2026.

All figures represent estimates based on Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List and archived Forbes data available through the Wayback Machine. Billionaire net worths can fluctuate significantly with changes in public and private company valuations, asset prices and other market conditions, meaning the figures represent a snapshot of estimated wealth on the specified dates. All calculations and comparisons were based on the same methodology and dates to provide a consistent measure of changes in billionaire wealth over the year.

Read the original report from BestBrokers.com

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Businesses holding back on hiring as labour market weakens – EMA

Source: Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA)

The EMA (Employers and Manufacturers Association) says today's increase in unemployment reflects the cautious approach many businesses have adopted as they navigate a challenging and uncertain economic environment.

Stats NZ today reported unemployment rose to 5.6% in the June 2026 quarter, up from 5.3% in the March quarter.

EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald says the result highlights the pressure many businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, have faced over recent months.

McDonald says today’s result is not unexpected, with Treasury forecasts a year ago suggesting unemployment could reach this level by this point in the year, but that does not make the result good news and it should be seen in context.

“Many businesses have been focused on retaining the staff they already have rather than taking on new employees.

“For some firms, higher costs, weaker demand and global uncertainty have meant delaying investment decisions and being much more cautious about growth.”

McDonald says the June quarter coincided with significant international uncertainty, including the conflict in the Middle East and sharp movements in global oil prices.

“Fuel, transport and input costs matter enormously to New Zealand businesses. The volatility we saw during the quarter affected confidence, investment decisions and hiring intentions.”

McDonald says it is important to remember that unemployment is a lagging indicator.

“These figures reflect what businesses were experiencing during April, May and June. More recent business confidence measures and PMI data have shown some more encouraging signs, suggesting many firms are still looking for opportunities to grow when conditions improve.”

McDonald says the significant increase in the number of young people not in employment, education or training reflects the reluctance of many businesses to take on new staff.

“The rise in the NEET rate (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) is further evidence that employers are concentrating on holding onto the people they have rather than expanding their workforce.

“When recruitment slows, young people are often the first to miss out because entry-level jobs become less available.”

McDonald says restoring business confidence remains critical to improving labour market conditions.

“Businesses want to invest, grow and create jobs. If uncertainty eases and confidence continues to improve, we would expect hiring intentions to strengthen over the coming months.”