Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al Rajhi
Co-founder, Al Rajhi Bank
Al Rajhi Bank is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest lender by way of assets, and announced a plan to increase its capital by $4bn, after recording a net profit of SAR14.47bn for the 12-month period ending December 31. Sheikh Sulaiman, a self-made billionaire worked as a porter at the age of nine, and several odd jobs to make ends meet during his teenage years, including collecting dates and a wholesale seller of imported kerosene. It wasn’t until 1957 that he co-founded Al Rajhi Bank which went on to become one of the Middle East’s biggest financial institutions. With one eye on his beginnings, the noted philanthropist has already committed the majority of his multi-billion fortune to charitable causes.