Despite the war in Ukraine and the increase in gas prices, inflation and rising interest rates, in Italy the rich are getting richer.

The Forbes ranking of our own billionaires lists 70 "scrooges" who in total have assets of 230.1 billion, that is, almost 70 more than at the end of 2022.

This year too, Giovanni Ferrero is confirmed as the richest man in Italy with assets of 39.1 billion dollars. But this year the Italian club is expanding with 20 more people than a year ago, up to the new record of 70 Scrooges.

Mister Nutella (or Mister Ferrero Rochè depending on your taste) also stands out in the world rankings, reaching 32nd place and is fifth in Europe behind the owners of the LVMH empires (Bernard Arnault), Zara (Amancio Ortega), L'Oréal (Françoise Bettencourt) Meyers) and Lidl/Kaufland (Dieter Schwarz).

In second place is Giorgio Armani with assets of 12.9 billion, and for the first time the podium is completed by Piero Ferrari, Enzo's son, with 7.6 billion. A woman comes in fourth place, Massimiliana Landini Aleotti, owner of the pharmaceutical company Menarini, which has assets of 6.8 billion dollars. Hot on the heels of Sergio Stevanato, president emeritus of Stevanato Group, who thanks to glass vials and cartridges for insulin pens (sold all over the world) has achieved assets of 6.7 billion.

In sixth place are the spouses Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli (4.5 billion), followed by Giuseppe De' Longhi (4.4 billion). Ninth is Giuseppe Crippa (4.1 billion), founder of Technoprobe, one of the two major global manufacturers of microchip test cards. Closing the top ten, in tenth place there is a tie between 11 billionaires, who have all reached a fortune of 4 billion. Including Leonardo Del Vecchio's eight heirs: his children Claudio, Clemente, Leonardo, Luca, Marisa and Paola, his widow, Nicoletta Zampillo, and Rocco Basilico, born from Zampillo's previous marriage to the banker Paolo Basilico. Also at 4 billion are the manufacturer and publisher Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, the president of Campari Group, Luca Garavoglia, and the new name that occupies the highest position in the ranking: Giancarlo Devasini, financial director of Tether, a stablecoin company with based in the British Virgin Islands. Among Berlusconi's heirs, Marina and Pier Silvio are in 38th place, Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi in 67th.