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Marrakech – Two prominent Moroccan families have secured positions among the biggest wealth gainers in the Arab world, according to Forbes Middle East’s latest rankings covering March 2025 to January 2026.
Othman Benjelloun and family recorded the third-largest increase among Arab families, adding $300 million to reach a net worth of $1.9 billion. Aziz Akhannouch and family tied for fifth place among the top gainers with a $100 million increase, bringing their wealth to $1.6 billion.
The Forbes tracking period shows seven Arab families collectively gained $3.4 billion over 10 months, with their combined net worth reaching $32.4 billion by January 22, 2026. Across the broader Arab region, the 12 richest families hold total assets of $63.9 billion.
Othman Benjelloun, Morocco’s wealthiest individual, chairs Bank of Africa-BMCE Group, a pan-African banking institution operating in 32 countries, including 20 across the African continent.
As of June 2025, the group employed approximately 15,000 people and served 6.6 million customers. The recent increase in Benjelloun’s fortune was driven by a 9.5% rise in the bank’s share price, which reached $20.6 on January 22, 2026.
The businessman transformed his father’s insurance firm, RMA, into one of Morocco’s leading insurers. Through his holding company, FinanceCom, Benjelloun also holds stakes in the Moroccan operations of the French telecommunications group Orange.
Read also: Forbes: Three Moroccan Family Businesses Among Most Powerful in Arab World
Aziz Akhannouch, who has served as Morocco’s Head of Government since September 2021, holds a majority stake in Akwa Group, the multibillion-dollar conglomerate founded in 1932 by his father and Ahmed Wakrim. The group operates across the petroleum, gas, and chemicals sectors through its publicly listed subsidiaries, Afriquia Gaz and Maghreb Oxygène.
Despite the family’s overall increase in wealth, some of its holdings faced headwinds during Forbes’s tracking period. Afriquia Gaz shares fell 8% to $406.1, while Maghreb Oxygène stock declined 7.8% to $40.4 as of January 22, 2026.
Qatar’s Al Thani family led the gainers list, adding $1.4 billion to reach a total net worth of $7.2 billion. Lebanon’s Mikati family followed in second place, with a $1.2 billion increase bringing their combined wealth to $7.4 billion.
The regional rankings offer a revealing snapshot of the Arab region’s economic moment, where persistent geopolitical strain has not arrested capital formation but instead sharpened the role of strategic investment and market timing in shaping the fortunes of its leading families over the past 10 months.
UAE families also featured prominently. Abdulla Al Futtaim and family tied for fifth place after adding $100 million to reach $4.8 billion, while Abdulla bin Ahmad Al Ghurair and family posted an identical increase, lifting their net worth to $4.7 billion.
Lebanon’s Hariri family ranked fourth, recording a $200 million gain to reach a combined net worth of $4.8 billion.
