Money transfer

An Austrian heiress has announced that she would share $27 million of her wealth with her countrymen. Marlene Engelhorn said she would select 50 people to decide how the money would be spent to benefit society, reports said.

The 31-year-old inherited her fortune from her grandmother, who died in 2022, CBS News reported, citing BBC. According to Forbes, the grandmother was a descendant of Friedrich Engelhorn, founder of the German pharmaceutical company BASF, and was worth $4.2 billion.

Engelhorn said her decision was based on a promise to her grandmother that she would give away 90 percent of her inheritance. It was also her way of fighting wealth inequality in Austria.

The 50 people will meet over six weekends between March and June to discuss how to use her wealth to create change, CBS News reported. Engelhorn will shoulder their travel and accommodation expenses and compensate them.

In the meantime, she faces the challenge of selecting 50 from 10,000 interested Austrians who will answer a selection survey.

Meanwhile, a Moroccan gardener will strike it rich in Spain after a wealthy heir of the Hermes fortune wants to adopt him and leave him his fortune.

Eighty-year-old Nicolas Puech, a fifth-generation descendant of the founder of French luxury goods company Hermès, is unmarried, has no children, and is estranged from most of his family.

The billionaire considers his former gardener, Jadil, and his wife and two children his family. The gardener, who took care of his ranch in Huelva for many years, became a close confidant of the fashion tycoon.

Puech has begun the legal process of adopting Jadil so he can inherit half his fortune, according to CNN. The co-owner of Hermes has a 5.7-percent share in the handbag company that is reportedly worth 211 billion euros. His wealth is estimated to be 12 billion euros.

Before the gardener gets the 6-billion euro inheritance, Puech has to cancel a succession agreement with Isocrates Foundation, his own charity dedicated to protecting and promoting public debate, The Olive Express reported.

The foundation, however, is opposing the abrupt annulment of the agreement, according to TOE.