Three businessmen from Castilla y León on Forbes' list of Spain's richest.

Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex, is once again the richest Spaniard in 2023 with a fortune of 81.8 billion euros. This is reported by Forbes magazine, which also notes the second place in the ranking Sandra Ortega Mera, daughter of Amancio, with a fortune of 7.1 billion.

The ranking also includes the representatives of Castile and Leon, Jesús Núñez Velázquez and María Carmen de la Fuente Núñez, who have a fortune of 600 million each thanks to their ownership of the company Gesbolsa.

Despite a significant drop in Inditex's share price last year, Amancio Ortega's bank account remained virtually unchanged and his fortune increased by 28.3 billion euros to 81.8 billion. His company also rose in market value by 35% and climbed from 21st in the global ranking to 13th.

Although Forbes cites his origins in Galicia, his connection to Castile and Leon is also significant, as Amancio Ortega was born in Busdongo de Arbas (Leon) and has ties to Valoria la Buena (Valladolid), the birthplace of his mother Josefina Gaona Hernandez, while his father Antonio Ortega Rodriguez is a native of Valladolid.

Jesus Núñez Velásquez and María Carmen de la Fuente Núñez, born in Pecharromán (Segovia), are ranked 65th in the ranking with a combined wealth of 1.2 billion thanks to the ownership of Gesbolsa.

Their wealth also increased after the sale of Alfonso X El Sabio University in 2019. The family is currently associated with Logos International School (Núñez Garrido) in Las Rosas and the Sorolla Lyceum in Pozuelo de Alarcón.

A notable absence from the ranking is Juan José Hidalgo, founder of Globalia, who last year ranked 99th on the list of richest Spaniards. Idalgo of Villanueva del Conde (Salamanca) has acquired UK-based Air Europa, which was the beginning of Globalia and then expanded with the purchase of Travelplan, Viajes Ecuador and other investments. Through these investments, he amassed a fortune of 300 million.