A new billionaire has assumed a position in Asia after the most expensive divorce in the continent. Du Weimin, the chairman of Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., transferred 161.3 million shares of the vaccine maker to his ex-wife, Yuan Liping, according to a May 29 filing, immediately catapulting her into the ranks of the world's richest, Bloomberg reported.
The stock was worth $3.2 billion as of Monday's close. The shares have more than doubled in the past year and have continued their ascent since February, when the company announced a plan to develop a vaccine to fight the coronavirus.
At the same time, Liping has signed an agreement allowing Weimin to keep the voting rights.
A Canadian citizen who resides in Shenzhen, Liping served as a director of Kangtai between May 2011 and August 2018. She's now the vice general manager of subsidiary Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co. Liping holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Beijing's University of International Business and Economics.
The most expensive divorce in history is that of Amazon's Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos. The Amazon founder gave 4 per cent of the online retailer to Mackenzie, who now has a $48 billion fortune and is the world's fourth-richest woman.
