World of Forbes

Across the planet, these 34 licensed editions span five continents, 27 languages and 24 time zones. They all share the same mission: celebrating entrepreneurial capitalism in all its guises.

2019-12-31 -

Around the globe with our 34 international editions.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Former NHL player Jaromir Jagr, 47, is still lacing ’em up, playing for the Klando Knights in the Czech Republic, which recently rejoined the

league’s top tier.

GREECE

Since 2016, Vodafone Greece has invested nearly $550 million to upgrade

the country’s telecom infrastructure.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Medical tourism abounds in the region, but experts warn that the industry will likely face a tough dose of consolidation and a push toward better procedures.

DUBAI

A Forbes Middle East package on the top real estate companies is led by Wasl Asset Management, which controls 40,000 residences in Dubai.

HUNGARY

Few people under 35 drink the herbal digestif Unicum anymore, leaving centuries-old beverage maker Zwack

searching for a new product.

ANGOLA

Maria Borges made a name for herself as a supermodel—appearing five times in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show—and now wants to become a real estate investor, starting in the capital

city of Luanda.

BRAZIL

The new Impact Entrepreneurs Fund—launched during the recent Slum Summit on combating poverty—will support economic development in Brazil’s impoverished

favelas.

FRANCE

“We are promoting women as subjects, not objects,” vows Laurent Milchior, cochairman of lingerie maker

Etam Group.

ARGENTINA

Diego Fenoglio’s family is chocolate royalty in Argentina, where they’ve been in the industry since the 1940s. His Rapanui ice cream and chocolate have grown to a nearly $800 million business—and he’s the rare Argentine with a sweet

outlook on the country: “When there is a crisis, the Argentine eats ice cream. When he is happy, he eats

chocolate.”

CHINA

All success takes place in the “past tense,” says Zhang Ruimin, the appliance king of China. Thus, Haier Group, the manufacturing company he runs, is focused solely on the future—and the key to that, he says, is unleashing the power of individual

employees.

GEORGIA

When the Soviet Union collapsed, Tamaz Daushvili cornered the market for a basic home good:

window blinds.

INDONESIA

The country’s startup scene is thriving—with five unicorns already and several more promising young companies, such as John Marco Rasjid’s Sociolla.

BOLIVIA

Life in Bolivia this autumn “was completely halted for three weeks by mostly peaceful civic protests” over elections, says Forbes

Bolivia publisher Fred Breede. “Friends and families gathered in every corner. No business opened— only banks, grocery stores and gas stations during the

morning.”

CYPRUS

After conquering Cyprus’ local insurance market, Christos Christodoulou, CEO of Trust Insurance, intends to look beyond

the island.

GERMANY

At 15, Tarek Mueller started his first business, an online shop that sold poker accessories. Today his e-commerce startup, About You, is Hamburg’s

first unicorn.

INDIA

“I have a strong instinct

. . . [and] most of the time it will be backed by some solid work,” says IT billionaire Shiv Nadar, who has grown increasingly interested in philanthropy as his net worth more than tripled

in the past decade.

K E N YA

The emergence of mobile banking in Kenya—led by M-Pesa, a fintech startup— is a boon for customers (who get easier access to banks and safer transactions) and for companies (who get an entirely new

customer base).

POLAND

Businesses in conservative Poland are tapping a new customer base: LGBTQ consumers, who tend to have more disposable income.

RUSSIA

A new ranking of Moscow’s most successful restaurants includes highend staples like White Rabbit and Selfie, as well as lower-end fare, such as Boston Seafood & Bar near the Begovoy District.

ISRAEL

If everything goes according to plan for Amnon Shashua, whose company, Mobileye, supplies autonomousdriving tech, Israel will see its first robo-taxi

by 2022.

KOREA

The lenses made by Eun Gyeong Park’s Sekonix power the cameras going into cars from Hyundai, Kia and others, enabling them to judge distance and traffic conditions.

PORTUGAL

On Forbes Portugal’s Power Women list: Paula Amorim. She runs a $5 billion empire that includes energy,

fashion and more.

SOUTH AFRICA

“Every book tells a story,” says Katherine Munro, a 74-year-old South African

whose six-figure library landed her on a new Forbes Africa list of the continent’s largest and most unusual

collections.

ITALY

Colmar’s down jackets have been mainstays on European slopes for generations. “Decades of history have allowed us to create a clear DNA,” says Mario Colombo, company

president.

LATVIA

Three Latvian twentysomethings have created what they call a “Tinder for loans”: an app called Jeff. Their first market? A world

away in Vietnam.

ROMANIA

Energy mogul Augustin Oancea follows a “golden rule that . . . is according to a Romanian saying: Never follow the path beaten by others if you want to

succeed.”

SPAIN

Que rico! No. 1 on Forbes Spain’s list of the 100 richest: Zara founder

Amancio Ortega.

JAPAN

The best-dressed men already wear Kashiyama’s

custom suits. Now it’s making custom women’s

shoes as well.

MEXICO

Mexico City faces a profound water crisis. Water tanks from Rotoplas ($450 million in sales) are now a ubiquitous sight on the

metropolis’ skyline.

THAILAND