Forbes Names Gold Producer Giant Shareholder Kerimov as Russia's Richest Man for 1st Time

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian lawmaker Suleiman Kerimov and his family, who owns Russia's biggest gold producer, Polyus, have topped the ranking of the country's richest entrepreneurs for the first time, according to data published by the Forbes magazine's Real Time Billionaires list on Wednesday.

Despite jumping to first place in the ranking for Russia, Kerimov currently occupies the 46th spot on the global list, which is updated in real time, with a $24.7 billion net worth as of 10:00 GMT.

According to the magazine, due to an increase in gold prices, Kerimov's family has for the first time become the richest entrepreneurs in Russia. The family's fortune has grown by $1.7 billion since the beginning of Wednesday.

Kerimov is followed by the list's former leader, Vladimir Potanin, one of the co-owners of the metals and mining company, Nornickel, with Forbes estimating his fortune at $24.6 million.

Earlier this week, the gold price topped $2,000 per ounce for the first time ever. As of 15:01 GMT on Tuesday, October gold futures on COMEX were trading up 1.2 percent at $1,998.25 per ounce. Minutes earlier, the price peaked at $2,000.25.