Britain’s richest hedge fund managers have increased their joint wealth to an eye-watering £18bn over the past year.
Michael Platt of Belgravia-based BlueCrest Capital remains top of the pile with £3.7bn after his wealth ballooned by more than £700m in the last 12 months.
The Preston-born 51-year-old, who began to dabble in stocks as a teenager when his grandmother bought him £500 worth of shares, widened the gap over his rival hedgies who all, except two, swelled their wealth.
But the list lays bare a distinct lack of women occupying the most well-paid industry jobs at a time when gender equality in the City is under increased scrutiny.
Only two women feature on the list and these imbalances have come under fire from gender campaign groups such as the Women’s Equality Party which told MailOnline that today’s revelations are ‘disappointing but unsurprising’.
Michael Platt, 51, the founder of BlueCrest capital, raked in £700m last year swelling his total bank balance to £3.7bn
Platt co-founded BlueCrest Capital Management in 2000 following almost a decade at banking giant JP Morgan.
Although he is a British citizen, and so makes this list, he moved to Geneva in 2010 before relocating again to tax haven Jersey in 2014.
The billionaire reportedly has an enormous private art collection that features in a secret showroom in the crypt of a dilapidated church in Marylebone.
Skulls, crucified monkeys and stuffed sparrow heads are also among the taxidermy sculptures which are showcased in the studio.
Princess Marie-Chantal, who along with father Robert Miller manages a £2bn hedge fund, has improved her bank balance by £200m
Second-placed Robert Miller, the CEO of Search Investment Group, is also the co-founder of the DFS retail chain
The American-born hedgie owns the staggering 36,000-acre Gunnerside shooting estate in Yorkshire
Second-placed Robert Miller, the CEO of Search Investment Group, is also the co-founder of the DFS retail chain.
The American-born hedgie owns the staggering 36,000-acre Gunnerside shooting estate in Yorkshire.
And he is the father of Princess Marie-Chantal who is the wife of Pavlos, the Crown Prince of Greece and heir to the Greek throne.
After a brief spell in Hong Kong, Marie-Chantal was schooled at the exclusive Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland where annual fees stretch above £100,000.
She reportedly began studying for a history of art degree in New York before dropping out following the Crown Prince’s proposal to her on a skiing holiday in Switzerland.
Sir Michael Hintze, of CQS, has a total wealth of £1.5bn and last year saw increases of £120m
A noted philanthropist, Sir Michael Hintze has given about £75m in the past decade to arts, educational and veteran’s causes, mostly through his Hintze Family Foundation.
But in 2011 it also emerged that the soldier-turned-banker bankrolled former Defence Secretary Liam Fox to the tune of £10,000 and made a series of personal donations to senior cabinet ministers, including then Prime Minister David Cameron.
Other payments to senior Tories when in Opposition include £37,500 to Mr Osborne, £25,000 to Higher Education Secretary David Willetts and £1,200 to current Prime Minister Mrs May.
Ranked in 6th place, billionaire David Harding grabbed headlines earlier this year when he made the single largest ever donation to a British university when he gave £100m to the University of Cambridge, where he studied physics.
And third place Sir Michael Hintze, a renowned philanthropist, has given about £75m in the past decade to arts, educational and veteran’s causes.
Yet among the generosity, many do not shy away from splashing their cash on exclusive properties and luxury goods.
Sir Chris Hohn, who manages TCI Fund Holdings, has a total wealth of £1.2bn and last year saw increases of £200m
Along with his London home, Robert Miller owns a 36,000-acre shooting estate in North Yorkshire while Alan Howard, worth just over £1bn, boasts a large art collection and a £22million penthouse in Trump Tower.
And Sir Paul Marshall, who is the father of Mumford & Sons lead guitarist Winston Marshall, recently bought an Inner Hebridean island for £1.7m to which he arrived in a helicopter before putting on a champagne reception.
The staggering increase in wealth has been put down to fluctuations in global markets which allows their stocks to rocket in a short space of time.
Alan Howard (left), boss of Brevan Howard, is worth £1.04bn with last year’s wealth increases totalling £30m and David Harding (right) of Winton Capital added £30m to his bank to give him £1.02bn
Robert Watts, the Compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: ‘Hedgies have the potential to gain and lose wealth much faster than almost anyone else on The Sunday Times Rich List.
‘Because they personally invest heavily in their own funds they can feel the financial pain more if their operation struggles.
‘But this has definitely been a better year for the hedgies on the Rich List – many who have enjoyed substantial winnings from a volatile stock market and turbulent geo-political climate.’