Saudi Banking Tycoon, Saleh Kamel, Dies at 79
Born in Makkah in 1941, the Saudi billionaire businessman, Saleh Kamel, has sadly passed away yesterday in Jaddah at the age of 79. He was the Chairman and Founder of one of the Middle East’s largest corporations, Dallah Albaraka Group. He was also the Chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as the Islamic Chamber of Commerce. The billionaire had an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion as well as vast investments in 40 different countries across the world. He carried out immense efforts to significantly expand trade and taking on many projects to promote the Kingdom as a leading economic force in the region.
He was named ‘father of contemporary Islamic finance’ and received Malaysia’s Royal Award for Islamic Finance in November 2010.
In November 2017, Kamel was detained among 200 other businessmen and royals by Saudi authorities at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh and was charged with corruption.
