Äripäev conducted a study on the richest people in Estonia. In first place is Kristo Käärmann. He is the founder of the money transfer company Wise.
In second place is Taavet Hinrikus. He is also a founder of Wise. In third place is Markus Villig. He is the founder of the taxi company Bolt.
Kristo Käärmann's wealth is worth €2.19 billion. Taavet Hinrikus's wealth is worth €1.2 billion. Markus Villig's wealth is worth €1.16 billion.
Also in the top ten richest in Estonia are: Jaan Tallinn, Margus Linnamäe, Oliver Leisalu, Raul Kirjanen, Oleg Ossinovski, Anders Anderson, and Martin Villig. Their wealth is less than a billion euros.
Äripäev says that the ranking of the richest shows that Estonia's economy is growing. The value of the business assets of the top 100 richest people increased by over 10%.
Äripäev's editor-in-chief Ken Rohelaan says that rich people can grow their wealth even in difficult times. They can acquire companies cheaply and expand their business.
There are also women among the richest in Estonia. The first woman is Karin Nurmetalo. She is the owner of a shipping company. There are about 50 women among the richest.
Rohelaan says that wealthy companies provide jobs and pay taxes. Their money supports the state budget and public services.
More about these 500 richest people can be read on Äripäev's website.