Iraqi-Jewish brothers. Born Bombay, raised London. £27.9B — UK's second-richest family (Sunday Times 2026). Trans-World aluminium, GlobalSwitch data centers, prime London RE, Newcastle United 14%. Reuben Foundation.
David Reuben (born 1938) and Simon Reuben (born 1941) are British billionaire investors of Iraqi-Jewish origin — born in Bombay to a Baghdadi Jewish family, raised in London from the 1950s. Sunday Times Rich List 2026: £27.9 billion, second-richest family in the UK. Among the most powerful private financiers in Europe.
The brothers built their fortune in three acts: Soviet-era metals trading, London commercial real estate, and global technology infrastructure. Their vehicle, Reuben Brothers, now controls a portfolio spanning prime London property, data centers, airports, racecourses, private equity, and a 14% stake in Newcastle United FC.
Act One: Trans-World Group and the Post-Soviet Aluminium Trade
David started in scrap metals. Simon started importing Persian carpets. They merged operations in 1977 and founded Trans-World Group, a metals trading house. In 1991, they established a Russian office and — with partner Lev Chernoy — acquired controlling stakes in Russian and Ukrainian aluminium smelters. By 1997, Trans-World was the world's third-largest aluminium producer, with $6 billion in annual sales.
The Russian chapter ended in 2000. Facing political pressure from Moscow and maneuvering by ex-managers, the brothers sold their Russian interests to Oleg Deripaska for $250 million and reinvested the capital into London real estate — a pivot that proved transformative.
Act Two: London Real Estate and GlobalSwitch
The Reubens bought aggressively during London property downturns — acquiring Millbank Tower, the John Lewis Partnership headquarters in Victoria, and a portfolio of Mayfair, Belgravia, and City of London properties. They purchased a London mansion for over $200 million.
Their most consequential technology investment was GlobalSwitch — a data center operator across Asia and Europe. Acquired in 2004, the brothers sold 49% to a Chinese investor consortium in 2016 for nearly $3 billion, then a further 25% in 2018 for $2.7 billion. The GlobalSwitch exits alone generated more than $5 billion in proceeds — multiples above the original Russian aluminium fortune.
Act Three: Newcastle United, Reuben Foundation, and the Jewish Philanthropic Network
The Reuben family holds approximately 14% of Premier League club Newcastle United FC alongside the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Amanda Staveley's PCP Capital Partners. Their son Jamie Reuben sits on the Newcastle board.
The Reuben Foundation channels philanthropic capital into education, healthcare, and Jewish causes in the UK and Israel. The brothers maintain a deliberately low public profile — one of the defining characteristics of the Baghdadi Jewish diaspora business tradition.
Where the Reuben Brothers Sit in the Global Jewish Capital Map
The Reubens represent the Iraqi-Jewish diaspora capital tradition — Bombay to London, textiles to metals to real estate to technology. The trajectory parallels the Safra banking dynasty (Aleppo to Beirut to São Paulo to Geneva) and the Kadoorie family (Baghdad to Shanghai to Hong Kong). These are multigenerational Jewish capital families whose wealth was built outside Israel but whose philanthropic and communal connections to Jewish and Israeli institutions remain active.
At £27.9 billion, the Reubens are wealthier than all but a handful of Israeli-born billionaires. Eyal Ofer ($33.6B) exceeds them; Idan Ofer (£24.5B) is close. The three families — Ofer, Reuben, and the Safra heirs — form the top tier of Jewish-origin private capital outside the United States.
