Portrait of Joseph Lau

Rank #210

Joseph Lau

Net worth $14.3B

Real estate · Hong Kong

Born
Jul 21, 1951
Age
74
Source
Real estate
Residence
Hong Kong
Citizenship
Hong Kong
Marital status
Married
Children
6
Education

Net worth over time

Biography

  • Joseph Lau is the former chairman of property developer Chinese Estates, most of which he acquired in 1986.
  • Lau owns a sizable portfolio of prime real estate in Hong Kong.
  • An avid art collector, his wealth also includes pieces from Warhol, Gauguin and Hockney that are worth at least $1 billion.
  • He became a billionaire in 2006 and his brother Thomas also made the billionaires' club.
  • In 2017 Joseph Lau said he transferred most of his wealth to his wife and a son, citing serious health issues.
  • Lau purchased a 12-carat blue diamond for a record-breaking $49 million in 2015.
  • Lau was sentenced to 5 years in prison by a Macau court for bribery and money laundering in 2014, but he can't be extradited to Macau and hasn't spent a day in jail.
  • Lau failed to take Chinese Estates private in 2021, when its investment in cash-strapped mainland property developer China Evergrande had $1 billion loss.

Financial assets

Exchange Ticker Company Shares Price Currency