The richest person in the Netherlands in 2026 is Jean-Louis van der Velde, co-founder of the crypto firms Tether and Bitfinex, with an estimated €26bn, according to the 30th Quote 500 list, reported on 28 October. He replaces Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken (€13bn), first every year since 2012, when Quote moved families to a separate ranking.
These are Quote’s estimates; others differ sharply. Forbes earlier put van der Velde at $38bn and Bloomberg at about 16 billion, according to the ANP report, which did not give Bloomberg’s currency. Quote says it had long left him out over doubts about his nationality, and has now confirmed that he is still Dutch.
The Quote 500 Top Names in 2026
| List | Name | Source of wealth | Quote estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individuals, 1 | Jean-Louis van der Velde | Tether, Bitfinex | €26bn |
| Individuals, 2 | Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken | Heineken | €13bn |
| Individuals, 3 | Ralph Sonnenberg | Luxaflex (founder) | €6.9bn |
| Families, 1 | Brenninkmeijer family | C&A | €22.5bn |
Together the 500 hold a record of more than €300bn, up a little over 10%. The entry ticket is unchanged at €140m. New at number 49 is Pim de Witte, 31, of the AI firm General Intuition, with €1.1bn. Other countries are in our rich lists.
How the Heineken Family Holds Its Stake
The Heineken fortune sits in a chain of majority stakes, per Heineken Holding’s 2025 annual report. The Heineken family owns 88.98% of L’Arche Green N.V., and the Hoyer family 11.02%. L’Arche Green owns 53.171% of Heineken Holding N.V., which owns 50.005% of the issued capital of the brewer, Heineken N.V.
Each layer is a majority, so control passes down. Multiplying the layers, the family’s look-through share of the brewer’s capital is about 24% (our calculation). It is the same idea of control through stacked holding companies that the Agnellis use with Exor.
Cofra: The Brenninkmeijers’ Next Generation
The Brenninkmeijer family, which founded C&A in 1841, holds its wealth through Cofra Holding, a Swiss company with more than €40bn of total assets, Bloomberg reported on 8 October. Florian Brenninkmeyer, 40, Cofra’s chief financial officer and a sixth-generation member, will become chairman in April 2027. He succeeds Martijn Brenninkmeijer, 56, chairman since 2018. Henry Schirmer, a former Randstad CFO, becomes chief financial officer on 1 January 2027, pending supervisory approval, finews.ch reported. Cofra owns Bregal Investments (private equity), Redevco (real estate) and Anthos Fund & Asset Management. More on Swiss rules in our Switzerland guide.
A fair caveat
Rich lists are journalists’ estimates built on filings and assumptions. A crypto fortune can move by billions in weeks, and the gap between the three estimates shows how much depends on method. Family totals are shared by many relatives.
What to watch
- Whether Forbes and Bloomberg revise their estimates for van der Velde.
- Supervisory approval of Henry Schirmer as Cofra’s chief financial officer.
- Heineken Holding’s 2026 annual report, for any change in the ownership chain.
Questions to bring to your advisors
If we control a company through layers of holdings, what do we really own, and how does control pass to the next generation? These are questions to bring to your advisors, not advice.
