Gautam Adani
Indian industrialist; founder and chairman of the Adani Group
| Gautam Adani
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 6 1962 (age 64 years old (as of 2026)
) India |
| Occupation | industrialist |
| Known for | Founder and chairman of the Adani Group |
| Education | Did not complete higher education (per Forbes) |
Gautam Adani (born 24 June 1962) is an Indian industrialist, the founder and chairman of the Adani Group, whose businesses include ports, airports, power generation and transmission, cement and renewable energy.[1] He was indicted in the United States in 2024 on securities and wire-fraud charges connected to an alleged bribery scheme. The charges against him were dismissed with prejudice in August 2026, and a related civil case by the US Securities and Exchange Commission was put forward for settlement by consent.[2][3][4] On 20 October 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Gautam Adani 26th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$78.3 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as Infrastructure, commodities.[1][5] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Gautam Adani 31st, at US$63.8 billion.[6]
Early life and education
Forbes gives his date of birth as 24 June 1962. It describes him as a dropout who turned down his father's textile shop to start his own commodities trading firm; its 2022 text says he left college, while its 2023 and 2026 texts say high school.[1] His father was Shantilal Adani, whose birth centenary the family marked in 2022.[7]
Business career
According to Forbes, the Adani Group began in 1988 as a commodities trading firm and expanded through acquisitions and with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Forbes describes the group as India's largest airport operator and the controller of Mundra Port, India's largest port, in Gujarat.[1] Forbes also reports that the group became India's second-largest cement producer in 2022 after buying Holcim's Indian assets for US$10.5 billion; that it owns the Abbot Point project in Australia, linked to the Carmichael coal mine, which Forbes calls controversial; and that Adani has said he will invest up to US$70 billion in renewable energy.[1]
In July 2022 a consortium of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) and Israel's Gadot Group, holding 70% and 30% respectively, won the tender to privatise Haifa Port with a bid of NIS 4.1 billion (about US$1.18 billion). The concession runs to 2054.[8]
Wealth
Forbes gives the source of his wealth as infrastructure and commodities, held mainly through the listed Adani Group companies.[1] His estimated net worth fell sharply in early 2023. The Times of Israel reported on 2 February 2023 that he had called off a US$2.5 billion share sale by his flagship company after the group lost tens of billions of dollars in market value following a short-seller's report, and that he was no longer the world's third-richest man.[9] Forbes notes that the shares recovered substantially after India's Supreme Court ruled in the group's favour a year later.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 19 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2008. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[6][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 91 | 9.3 |
| 2009 | 397 | 1.8 |
| 2010 | 167 | 4.8 |
| 2011 | 81 | 10.0 |
| 2012 | 189 | 5.4 |
| 2013 | 437 | 3.1 |
| 2014 | 609 | 2.8 |
| 2015 | 208 | 6.6 |
| 2016 | 453 | 3.5 |
| 2017 | 250 | 5.8 |
| 2018 | 154 | 9.7 |
| 2019 | 167 | 8.7 |
| 2020 | 155 | 8.9 |
| 2021 | 24 | 50.5 |
| 2022 | 11 | 90.0 |
| 2023 | 24 | 47.2 |
| 2024 | 17 | 84.0 |
| 2025 | 28 | 56.3 |
| 2026 | 31 | 63.8 |
Philanthropy
On 23 June 2022, the year of his 60th birthday and of his father's birth centenary, the Adani family committed ₹60,000 crore to social causes in healthcare, education and skill development. The commitment is to be administered by the Adani Foundation.[7]
Political activity
Forbes states that the group's expansion was supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[1] No personal donations were found in the sources checked.
Controversies and legal issues
In January 2023 the US short seller Hindenburg Research accused Adani and his companies of financial fraud and stock manipulation; the group denied any wrongdoing.[1] On 3 January 2024 India's Supreme Court declined to transfer the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) investigation to a special investigation team. It noted that SEBI had completed 20 of its 22 inquiries and directed it to finish the remaining two.[10] In September 2025 SEBI cleared the group and its top executives in two orders, finding no violation of its related-party or fraudulent-trading rules.[11]
On 20 November 2024 federal prosecutors in Brooklyn announced an indictment charging Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain, executives of Adani Green Energy, with securities and wire fraud conspiracies and securities fraud. The prosecutors alleged a scheme to bribe Indian government officials for solar power supply contracts projected to earn more than US$2 billion in profits after tax over about 20 years. The release stated that the charges were allegations and that the defendants were presumed innocent.[2] On the same day the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil complaint alleging that a 2021 bond offering by Adani Green Energy had raised US$175 million from US investors while the alleged bribery was in progress.[12][4]
On 14 May 2026 the SEC moved for final judgments by consent against Gautam and Sagar Adani. Without admitting or denying the allegations, they agreed to injunctions and to civil penalties of US$6 million and US$12 million respectively, subject to court approval.[4] On 10 August 2026 Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the Eastern District of New York granted in part the Justice Department's motion to dismiss. He dismissed Counts Two, Three and Four against Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain with prejudice, and reserved judgment on the counts against the defendants who had not appeared.[3] NBC News reported that the 47-page ruling found Adani's pledge to invest in the United States had not influenced the decision to drop the case, but sharply criticised the conduct of Principal Associate Attorney General Trent McCotter. Adani said he welcomed the decision.[13] This profile has not confirmed whether the court has approved the SEC consent judgments.
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
Adani Ports and Gadot bought Haifa Port in a privatisation tender in 2022, with Adani Ports holding 70%.[8] At a ceremony at the port on 31 January 2023, Adani spoke alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Adani had told him he would increase his investment in Israel "in a big way".[14][9]
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
Forbes attributes part of the group's expansion to the support of Prime Minister Modi.[1] The US criminal and civil cases concerned alleged bribes to Indian government officials to secure solar power contracts; the criminal counts against Adani were dismissed in 2026.[2][3]
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
See India above.
Other international links
The group's Australian interests include the Abbot Point project and the Carmichael coal mine.[1] US dealings: see Controversies and legal issues.[13]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Gautam Adani (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/gautam-adani-1/) Forbes, live record, read 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, Billionaire Chairman of Conglomerate and Seven Other Senior Business Executives Indicted in Connection With Scheme to Pay Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Bribes and Conceal Bribery Scheme From U.S. Investors U.S. Department of Justice, 20 November 2024, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, United States v. Adani et al., No. 1:24-cr-00433 (NGG) – Memorandum & Order (docket entry published on GovInfo) GovInfo (U.S. Government Publishing Office), 10 August 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Litigation Release No. 26554: SEC Files Proposed Final Judgments Against Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 14 May 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Adani Enterprises Limited, On Gautam Adani’s 60th birthday, the Adani Family commits Rs 60,000 Cr to charity PR Newswire, 23 June 2022, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Adani Ports and SEZ, Adani and Gadot win tender to privatise Israel’s Haifa Port Adani Ports and SEZ, 15 July 2022, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 AP and Times of Israel staff, Day after buying Haifa port, Indian tycoon Adani rocked by plunging stock price The Times of Israel, 2 February 2023, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ The Hindu Bureau, Adani-Hindenburg case verdict | No ground to transfer investigation from SEBI to SIT, says Supreme Court The Hindu, 3 January 2024, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Akshata Gorde, SEBI clears Adani Group, top executives in Hindenburg case The Hindu BusinessLine, 18 September 2025, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Three Senior Executives in Two Actions Alleging Massive Bribery Scheme Involving Indian Energy Companies Adani Green and Azure Power (press release 2024-181) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 20 November 2024, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Chloe Atkins, U.S. judge dismisses high-profile case against Indian billionaire NBC News, 11 August 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Reuters (via The Jerusalem Post), Netanyahu: India’s Adani to increase Israeli investment in a ‘big way’ The Jerusalem Post, 31 January 2023, accessed 20 October 2026.