Hurun India Rich List 2026: AI Wealth Surges, Adani Reclaims Top Spot

Meanwhile, the rise of new-age wealth has not displaced India’s traditional business fortunes, with Gautam Adani and family reclaiming the top spot from Mukesh Ambani and family.

The Quantum & deep-tech story

Bengaluru-based Nagendra Nagaraja of QpiAI became India’s first quantum-computing entrant on the list, with wealth of Rs 1,700 crore. Tanay Kothari and Sahaj Garg, both 28, made their debut with AI company Wispr Flow, each with wealth of Rs 4,200 crore.

The National Quantum Mission is the country’s Rs 6,003.65-crore initiative approved in 2023 to strengthen quantum technology research and industry. The programme has so far supported 17 startups — including nine deep-tech ventures — among them QpiAI, which launched a 25-qubit quantum computer in 2025.

Notably, the broader deeptech story is equally significant. AI, Aerospace & Defence and Semiconductors together account for 48 individuals worth Rs 4.26 lakh crore — 30 are new this year. “Pawan Kumar Chandana of Skyroot Aerospace enters through space launch, while Nagendra Nagaraja of QpiAI becomes the list’s first quantum-computing entrant, at Rs 1,700 crore. These businesses demand patient capital, engineering depth and years of development. The ambition for India to own foundational technology is beginning to show up in the wealth data,” said Anas Rahman Junaid, Founder and Chief Researcher, Hurun India.

Sridhar Pinnapureddy & family of CTRL S Datacentres had a wealth of Rs 46,100 crore, followed by Darshan Hiranandani of Yotta with Rs 37,900 crore. As digital services and AI expand, computing power and data storage demand is rising sharply, making data centres key for infrastructure needed to support these services.

But there’s a catch to the AI wealth story: 13 of the 19 AI names on the list are based outside India. “That speaks to the global reach of Indian talent and raises an important question about where the next generation of businesses will be built,” said the founder.

Hurun was founded by Rupert Hoogewerf in London in 1999, with Hurun India launched in 2012 by Anas Rahman Junaid, who had earlier worked with Hoogewerf on the Global Rich List.

Adani reclaims top spot

Gautam Adani and family have reclaimed the top spot on the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026, overtaking Mukesh Ambani and family as the country’s richest, even as India recorded a sharp rise in the number of billionaires and a new generation of wealth emerged from AI and quantum computing.

Adani family saw their wealth rise 13% to Rs 9.23 lakh crore ($96 billion), while Ambani, 69, and family saw their wealth decline 10% to Rs 8.63 lakh crore ($90 billion). Adani’s lead over Ambani stood at Rs 59,400 crore.

The annual list, released on Thursday, showed that India now has 391 dollar billionaires, the highest ever, up from 237 five years ago. The number increased by 27 over the past year, with India minting 76 new dollar billionaires during the period.

The broader wealth pool also expanded significantly. Individuals with wealth of at least Rs 1,000 crore rose to 1,810, an increase of 128 from last year and 803 over five years.

LN Mittal and family of ArcelorMittal made the biggest move among the top ranks, climbing eight places to third. Their wealth nearly doubled, rising 93% to Rs 3.39 lakh crore. Anil Agarwal and family of Vedanta Resources climbed seven places to ninth after their wealth rose 87% to Rs 2.08 lakh crore. Roshni Nadar Malhotra and family remained India’s richest woman, ranking fifth overall with wealth of Rs 2.79 lakh crore, the report said.

Global managers, top rich investors

Beyond founders and family-run businesses, the list also captures the wealth built by Indian-origin corporate leaders and professional investors.

Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks has topped the professional managers of Indian origin at Rs 77,400 crore. Sundar Pichai of Google follows in second, at Rs 14,500 crore, while Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks holds the third position with Rs 13,700 crore, said the M3M Hurun report.

Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron Technology registered Rs 11,900 crore, and Satya Nadella of Microsoft holds fifth at Rs 10,600 crore. Steve Sanghi of Microchip is sixth at Rs 8,200 crore, followed by Dev Ittycheria at Rs 7,400 crore. Ajaypal Singh Banga of the World Bank Group and Thomas Kurian both register Rs 6,400 crore, whereas Indra K Nooyi completes the top ten at Rs 6,000 crore.

Rekha Rakesh Jhunjhunwala & family have led the top investors with wealth of Rs 75,800 crore, more than four times that of the next name on the list. Ronnie Screwvala followed in second place at Rs 12,900 crore, with Akash Bhanshali in third at Rs 12,200 crore, it showed.

Mukul Agrawal, who registered wealth of Rs 7,700 crore, was in the fourth position, followed by Nemish S Shah at Rs 4,200 crore. Ashish Kacholia held the sixth position with Rs 3,400 crore and Sunil Singhania was seventh with Rs 3,300 crore. Ashish Dhawan and Madhusudan Kela both registered Rs 3,000 crore, while Anil Kumar Goel completed the top ten at Rs 2,900 crore. While eight of the ten are based in Mumbai, the remaining two are in New Delhi, the report said.