Forbes Turkey released the list of 100 richest Turkish business people. According to the list, Yıldız Holding Chair Murat Ülker topped the list with his $4.8 billion fortune.
The 13th Forbes Turkey list revealed that the wealth of 100 richest Turks increased by $18.5 billion and reached $121.4 billion.
Having a fortune of $4.8 billion, Murat Ülker came first in the list and he was followed by Erman Ilıcak, chair of Turkey's construction giant Rönesans Holding. Ilıcak's wealth is reported to be $4 billion.
Hüsnü Özyeğin, chair of Fiba Holding, ranked third among 100 richest Turks, and is said to have a fortune of $2.9 billion.
Biotechnology firm Samumed's founder Osman Kibar, who has a $2.8 billion fortune, ranked fourth and he was followed by Turkey's world-known textile brand LCW CEO Mustafa Küçük who was reported to enjoy a $2.7 billion fortune.
Semahat Arsel, a board member of Turkey's largest conglomerate Koç Holding, came sixth in the list with her $2.6 billion fortune.
Arsel was followed by Koç Holding honorary Chair Rahmi Koç and ENKA honorary Chair Şarık Tara, each having a fortune of $2.5 billion.
According to the statement by the the Turkish edition of Forbes magazine, there were 40 billionaires on the "100 Richest Turks" list, which was prepared for the 13th time, with nine new inclusions from the 2016 list.
There were 21 women on the list, while the number of female billionaires, which was five the previous year, increased to six in 2017. Women held 17.6 percent of the total wealth of the 100 richest people in Turkey.
Moreover, both the number of billionaires who obtained their wealth from their foreign ventures and their wealth increased last year.
The wealth of Hamdi Ulukaya, who established the yogurt brand Chobani in the U.S., increased to $1.8 billion.
Eren and Fatih Özmen, who carry loads to the International Space Station with their Sierra Nevada Corporation they established in the U.S., entered the list for the first time with a wealth of $1.5 billion each.
Founder of Polimeks Construction, Erol Tabanca and Tosyalı Holding's bosses Fuat Tosyalı, Ayhan Tosyalı and Fatih Tosyalı are newcomers on the list, who earned their spots largely thanks to their business operations abroad.
Forbes Billionaires ranks individuals rather than large, multi-generational families who share large fortunes. In some cases the magazine lists siblings together if the ownership breakdown among them isn't clear.
