13-05-2025
Forbes: Three Moroccan Family Businesses Among Most Powerful in Arab World
Rabat – Forbes Middle East's latest ranking has featured three major Moroccan family businesses among the top 100 most powerful Arab family companies in 2025.
In its newly released ' Top 100 Arab Family Businesses 2025 ' list, Forbes Middle East spotlighted the leading family-run companies in the Arab world. Representing Morocco in this pool of prestigious family-run businesses O Capital Group, Holmarcom, and Diana Holding.
O Capital Group is the highest-ranked Moroccan company on the list; it comes in 23rd place. Created in 2021 after FinanceCom merged into Holding Benjelloun Mezian, the group is led by Othman Benjelloun, one of Morocco's most well-known businessmen.
O Capital operates in several sectors, including finance, insurance, and investments, both in Morocco and abroad. Forbes Middle East noted that, as of the end of April 2025, Benjelloun and his family had a fortune estimated at $1.6 billion.
Next is Holmarcom Group, led by Mohamed Hassan Bensalah; it ranked 80th region-wide. Founded in 1978, the Moroccan group works in different important sectors such as finance, agro-industry, logistics, and real estate. It is one of the most influential family businesses in Morocco today.
Diana Holding, led by Rita Maria Zniber, is the third Moroccan group on the list, coming in 84th place. The company was originally founded by her late husband, Brahim Zniber, in 1956.
Read also: Morocco's Corporate Dominance: 14 Firms Rule North Africa's Top 20
Diana Holding focuses on agriculture and agro-industry and manages a wide range of activities, including poultry, beverages, seafood, plastic packaging, distribution, and retail. The group manages about 8,300 hectares of land, runs over 30 subsidiaries, and employs around 7,200 people, according to Forbes.
The Top 100 list is mostly dominated by Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia leads with 33 family companies, followed closely by the United Arab Emirates with 32. The top three spots on the list go to Al Muhaidib Group (Saudi Arabia), Abdul Latif Jameel Group (Saudi Arabia), and Al-Futtaim Group (UAE).
Family businesses in the region are 'far more than commercial enterprises,' Forbes noted. Instead, it concluded, they are 'pillars of society, deeply interwoven with the region's cultural fabric and historical legacy.' Tags: businessesForbesMorocco
