Taylor Swift
American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift, named as Time magazine's 2023 Person of Year on Thursday, is set to earn more than $130 million in royalties from Spotify after taking out the top spot as the most streamed artist on the platform's end-of-year Wrapped list.
Factor in publishing revenue and the billionaire singer's Spotify takings will total $131 million by the end of this month.
Swift’s music has had more than 26.1 billion global streams as of November 30 this year. With December’s figures, that number is expected to rise to 27.2 billion, Billboard calculated.
With streaming revenue from other platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube, that total could cross $160 million, while publishing revenue could see it hit the $200 million mark.
Swift, 33, is one of the world’s richest self-made women with a net worth of $1.1 billion, according to Bloomberg.
She entered the exclusive $1 billion club on the back of her 146-date Eras concert tour, which has shattered several records and sparked ticket frenzies. The Super Bowl-sized event is expected to be the highest-grossing tour of all time when it closes next year.
Taylor Swift's Eras tour – in pictures
By then, the US leg of the tour alone could add $5.7 billion to the country’s economy, according to software company Question Pro. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia officials acknowledged as much in May, stating the tour had boosted tourism in the region.
The 12-time Grammy winner could earn as much as $4.1 billion from the tour, estimates based on her share of 85 per cent, The Washington Post reported.
Swift’s per-show take-home ranges between $10 million and $13 million, according to Forbes magazine estimates.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie has also taken $250 million in global ticket sales since it opened in October. The movie, the highest-grossing concert film in US history, cost $15 million to make.
She has more than 182 million in equivalent album sales. That includes digital and physical album sales, according to music industry database ChartMasters.org. The total makes her the biggest-selling artist under the age of 50.
Swift looks to real estate as a way of preserving her wealth. With eight homes, her property portfolio is worth upwards of $150 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
She has four homes in New York City, including apartments in the West Village and Tribeca, a beach house in Rhode Island, a seven-bedroom home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, properties in Nashville, Tennessee, and an estate in Beverly Hills.
Swift also owns two Dassault private jets and has a notable car collection.
Max Verstappen
Dutchman Max Verstappen has become the highest-paid Formula One driver of 2023 after winning his third straight championship, according to a new list by Forbes magazine.
The Red Bull Racing driver has earned $70 million on the back of a record 19 race victories this year.
The figure includes his $45 million salary and bonuses estimated at $25 million.
In May, Forbes calculated his off-track earnings at $4 million for the preceding 12 months.
Verstappen, 26, has a net worth of €150 million ($161.4 million), the Netherlands’ Quote 500 rich list revealed last month. He had a net worth of €120 million in 2022.
As a Monaco resident, he pays no tax on his income. Verstappen rents the $15.6 million penthouse he lives in and has few public investments.
In August, he announced plans to enter a team into the 2025 GT3 championship.
The move expands the Verstappen name outside of Formula One, in line with his interest in both digital and real-world racing projects. Other ventures could include rallying and virtual racing, according to the Verstappen.com website.
Verstappen purchased a $16 million Falcon-900EX private jet from Richard Branson in 2020, according to wealth-tracking website Celebrity Net Worth.
He also has a considerable car collection, including several Aston Martins. Among them is a limited-production $2.7 million Valkyrie.
Beyonce
Singer, fashion designer and businesswoman Beyonce has revitalised the post-Thanksgiving US box-office with her concert movie taking $21 million in North American ticket sales over its opening weekend, according to estimates from AMC Theatres.
The film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, was the first movie in 20 years to cross $20 million over the first weekend of December’s, AP reported.
Beyonce wrote, directed and produced the tour movie of her Grammy-winning album.
The 56-show tour spanned 39 cities this year, kicking off in Stockholm, Sweden, in May and closing in Kansas City, Missouri, in October.
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With takings of $579.8 million, it attracted over 2.8 million fans, making it the year’s highest-grossing tour, according to Billboard Boxscore. The list does not feature Swift’s Eras tour, which closes in 2024.
Beyonce, 42, earned an estimated $145 million from the tour and has a total net worth of $540 million, Forbes reports.
Over the course of her nearly 30-year career, she has won a record 32 Grammy awards and sold more than 98 million albums in physical and digital sales, according to ChartMasters.org.
Outside music, she has a clothing line, Ivy Park, which ended its partnership with adidas in March. She launched a capsule couture collection with fashion house Balmain earlier this year.
In 2018, she signed a $60 million content deal with Netflix.
With her husband, rapper, producer and entrepreneur Jay-Z, she owns a large portfolio of real estate, including properties in New Orleans, the Hamptons and Bel Air in California, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In May, the couple reportedly paid $200 million for a mansion in Malibu, the most expensive in California history.
Paris Hilton
Hotel heiress and entrepreneur Paris Hilton is continuing to build out her portfolio of technology-focused equity investments.
She joined a €3 million seed funding round for Berlin-based artificial intelligence travel start-up Layla at the end of November.
The company uses a chatbot, also called Layla, to recommend new travel destinations and make bookings – either via the web or using social media.
Layla was set up by Jeremy Jauncey, founder of travel agency Beautiful Destinations, and Saad Saeed, who co-launched European grocery delivery service Flink.
Other investors include Brent Hoberman, co-founder of lastminute.com and Firstminute Capital, Andy Phillips of Booking.com, Skyscanner co-founder Barry Smith and venture capital firm M13.
The terms of Hilton’s participation have not been disclosed.
The Paris in Love star, 42, has a net worth of $300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Often described as a “multi-hyphenate”, she has built a career as a model, actor, reality TV star, DJ and influencer. She has launched fashion and perfume lines, which have generated more than $4 billion in sales.
Through her company 11:11 Media, Hilton is also involved in a wide range of creative and technology ventures, including businesses in the digital, audio, film, television, licensing and metaverse space.
Hilton's investment in Layla is the latest in a line of technology start-ups that have attracted her attention this year.
In September, 11:11 Media joined Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, in a $54 million funding round in blockchain-based IP ownership network Story Protocol.
She has made at least 17 investments, according to investor information platform CB Insights, including cryptocurrency payments company MoonPay and video platform Shibuya.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Grand slam winners since July 2003
Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam
Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)
Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)
Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)
Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)
Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open)
Gaston Gaudio 1 (1 French Open)
Marat Safin 1 (1 Australian Open)
Juan Martin del Potro 1 (1 US Open)
Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Fight card
1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)
4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)
5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)
6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)
9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)
10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)
11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
Rating: 3/5
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Top 5 concerns globally:
1. Unemployment
2. Spread of infectious diseases
3. Fiscal crises
4. Cyber attacks
5. Profound social instability
Top 5 concerns in the Mena region
1. Energy price shock
2. Fiscal crises
3. Spread of infectious diseases
4. Unmanageable inflation
5. Cyber attacks
Source: World Economic Foundation
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.