Aponte vs Ma Huateng

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and Tencent.

The differences

Forbes puts Gianluigi Aponte about $1.3B ahead of Ma Huateng.Forbes figures from 9 Oct 2026 and 15 Oct 2026.
Both started the company their money comes from.
Gianluigi Aponte is about 31 years older than Ma Huateng.
Gianluigi Aponte is from Switzerland; Ma Huateng is from China.
Ma Huateng has held a public or government advisory role; Gianluigi Aponte has none on record.

Put someone else on either side

Aponte

Ma Huateng

Net worth, Forbes: $46.8BForbes, 9 Oct 2026; $45.5BForbes, 15 Oct 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $52.7BBloomberg, date not stated; $50.3BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 40Real-Time list, 9 Oct 2026; No. 44Real-Time list, 15 Oct 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; 2008First on the Forbes World's Billionaires list in 2008 with $1.4 billion

How it started: Founded itFounded MSC in 1970 in Brussels with a single ship, after working as a ferry captain and a banker; Forbes says he and his wife Rafaela entered shipping together; Co-founded itCo-founded Tencent in 1998; Forbes labels him self-made
Main source: MSC Mediterranean Shipping CompanyBloomberg: 'Aponte's fortune is derived from closely held Mediterranean Shipping'; Tencent Holdings stockBloomberg: 'the majority of Ma Huateng's wealth is derived from an 8% stake in Tencent Holdings'
Companies: MSC Mediterranean Shipping CompanyMSC Mediterranean Shipping Company: Founder and executive chairman of the group; TencentTencent: Executive director, chairman and CEO
Biggest stake: MSC Mediterranean Shipping CompanyStake not stated; Tencent8.85% owned

Born: 1940Sorrento, Italy; 29 Oct 1971Chaoyang, China
Country: SwitzerlandLives in Geneva, Switzerland; ChinaLives in Shenzhen, China
Education: Not statedItalian Maritime Academy (the nautical institute in his home town); Bachelor's degreeBS in computer and its application, Shenzhen University (1993)
Parents: From a family of sailors going back more than 300 years; his father opened a hotel in Somalia and died when he was five. He began as a ferry captain in the family business; His father, Ma Chenshu, moved the family to Hainan and later to Shenzhen, where he worked as a port manager

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: MSC FoundationFounded by the Aponte family in 2018 as the MSC Group's philanthropic arm; Tencent Foundation and a personal charity fundHe led the founding of Tencent Foundation in 2007 and in 2016 pledged 100 million Tencent shares to a charity fund; Ma Huateng Global Foundation Limited holds part of his Tencent stake
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: Runs the companyFounder and executive chairman of the MSC Group; Runs the companyChairman and CEO of Tencent
Successor: His son Diego Aponte (group president) and daughter Alexa Aponte (group CFO) took over ownership of MSC in the last quarter of 2025; None namedTencent's annual report lists him as the only executive director; no family member is on the board
Public office: None found; Deputy to the National People's Congress (12th and 13th)2013-2023
Legal record: None found; None found