Tan Sri Robert Kuok retained the top spot on the top 50 richest Malaysian list published by Forbes magazine.
He retained the top spot for the 12th consecutive year with a net worth of US$11.4 billion (RM50.73 billion), up from US$10 billion previously.
The 93-year old patriarch of the Kuok Group controls an empire that includes palm oil, shipping and property.
Robert Kuok has long been Malaysia’s richest person.
The Chinese-Malaysian tycoon’s Kuok Group controls an empire that includes the high-end hotel chain Shangri-La, Kerry Properties and commodities trader Wilmar.
He got his start trading rice, sugar and wheat flour in Malaysia in 1949 and in Singapore in 1953.
A big source of his wealth is a stake in palm-oil-giant Wilmar International, which is run by nephew Kuok Khoon Hong, a Singapore billionaire.
Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan, who chairs privately-held conglomerate Hong Leong Co (Malaysia), moved up one spot to number two with a net worth of US$6.8 billion, up from US$5.3 billion last year.
Quek replaced Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan, who slipped to third spot this year as his wealth declined 12.2% to US$6.5 billion amid uncertainty around his debt-laden Indian telecom, Aircel.