Billionaires not only have what appears to be a limitless amount of money to spend but they also tend to have massive credit lines to boot. Whether it is the need to borrow money for newer projects or money for project expansion, many billionaires, despite their abundance of cash, borrow huge sums of money all the time. The question is, what kind of limits do these guys have? Certainly larger limits than the everyday consumer.
So large that banks have entirely separate credit lines for most of these wealthy people Let’s take a look at some of the top billionaires who have massive credit lines.
1. Larry Ellison
How about having a $10 billion credit card that you could spend on whatever you like? Larry Ellison has a $10 Billion credit line, and interestingly all of it counts towards his personal spending limit. However, Ellison has had to pledge 250 million shares of Oracle’s personal stock for getting that amount. And as Oracle’s share price has increased over the years, he has actually been steadily increasing his personal credit line. For instance, the $10 billion limit is considered if the shares are valued at $39 each. If they are valued more, Ellison can actually have an increase in his spending limit. It should also be noted that Ellison is the fifth richest man in the world and has a net worth of more than $48 billion.
2. Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft and is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all-time. He is one of the few self-made billionaires in the world and he has been behind the driving force for a number of companies since Microsoft allowed him to invest in various sectors. He has over a $1 billion credit line and is one of the most inspiring figures and heralded the computer technology revolution in the world. Let’s not forget this guy is worth over $80 billion. Having over $1 billion in credit seems paltry.
3. Amancio Ortega
This is one of the names you may have never have heard of but Amancio is one of the world’s wealthiest men who loves to keep a low profile. He has been in the fashion industry for decades and is the owner and founder of the Inditex fashion group. He has a net worth of $78 billion and nearly all this wealth came to him through hard work alone. He spent his early years working as a railway worker and he has been able to turn the Spanish fashion industry on its head thanks to his business acumen. He has kept a low profile since the 90s and you will rarely see his name in newspapers and magazine. Is it a surprise he can borrow up to $10 billion personally? Nope.
4. Mark Zuckerberg
This list could not have been complete without mentioning the brain behind Facebook, which is currently the most popular social media platform in the world right now. He is not only the one of the richest billionaires in the world he has also managed to become the world’s youngest billionaire. Currently, Zuckerberg has a credit line of more than $3 billion which might rise in the next few years. Not many can claim that they have had a movie made after them at such a young age but it seems Zuckerberg has done it all.
5. Jack Ma
Jack Ma is the founder of Alibaba and is known to be China’s richest man. Alibaba is a brand to reckon with and Jack Ma’s wealth runs into billions of dollars from Alibaba alone. His wealth is set to grow with key investments lined up for Alibaba in 2015 and 2016. He is also one of the few self-made billionaires who have been able to garner amazing amounts of wealth and have gigantic credit lines.
All photos via Getty
