Bill Gates, the prominent American business mogul, has secured ownership of 1,703,000 shares in AB InBev through his charitable institution, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust.
At present, the approximate valuation of these shares stands at around $95 million.
This investment demonstrates trust in the global brewer’s capacity to navigate its ongoing challenges, despite the company being entangled in controversy throughout this year.
Since April 1st, the Bud Light brand in the United States has faced criticism after forming a limited partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Mulvaney promoted the beer brand in a video on the social media platform Instagram, celebrating a college basketball tournament organized by the National Collegiate Athletics Association. This sponsorship resulted in calls for a boycott of Bud Light by conservative groups.
In addition to his acquisition of 10.8 million shares (constituting a 3.8% stake) in the global beer giant Heineken in February of this year, the entrepreneur has now made this recent investment. Bill Gates individually acquired 6.65 million shares in Heineken Holding, while the Foundation procured 4.18 million shares, with a combined estimated value of €883 million.
AB InBev chose not to provide a comment.
