Suleiman Kerimov gets most of his fortune from his 76% stake in Russia's biggest gold producer, Polyus. Kerimov was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for alleged money laundering related to the purchase of villas in France. The EU sanctioned him in March 2022. A trained economist, Kerimov made a career investing in distressed companies in Russia. He cashed out and heavily invested in investment banks such as Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs before the 2008 financial meltdown. He lost billions. Kerimov recovered by betting on Polyus.
