The sole heir to real estate tycoon Raj Kumar, Kishin now works alongside his father to manage a property empire in Singapore worth an estimated $10 billion.
Their combined holdings, through Kishin’s RB Capital and Kumar’s Royal Holdings, include a portfolio of office towers, malls, and hotels, featuring flagship assets such as the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay, Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay, and Holiday Inn Singapore Little India.
Here are some details about Kishin and his business success.
One of Singapore’s few billionaires under 50
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Kishin RK. Photo by Wiki.sg/Dayana Rizal |
Kishin is one of just six Singaporeans under 50 on Forbes’ 2025 billionaire list, joining the ranks of Sea Limited’s three co-founders, Razer’s co-founder, and the CEO of Espressif Systems.
While he stands out as the only one to have inherited wealth, Kishin has started his own successful ventures before joining forces with his father to strengthen the family empire.
Buying his first apartment at the age of 12
Kishin’s introduction to real estate came early, when his father helped him purchase his first apartment at just 12 years old and later brought him along to attend important business meetings, according to the South China Morning Post.
He joined the family firm in 2003 and, three years later, sold an apartment given to him by his parents and used the proceeds to launch RB Capital.
Unlike his family firm’s model of acquiring and managing ready-made assets, RB Capital focuses on real estate development, taking on projects across several segments, including retail spaces, office buildings, and hotels.
Family office in Abu Dhabi
Late last year, the father and son duo revealed plans to establish a family office in Abu Dhabi to oversee their Middle East wealth, as reported by Bloomberg.
Kishin said the city was chosen for its strategic location and internationally recognized legal framework.
“A family office in Abu Dhabi is a way to establish our presence and allows us to expand our investments in the UAE and the Middle East,” he said, explaining the reason for setting up RB Family Office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market.
Childhood dreams beyond the family business
Kishin once considered a path outside the family empire. In his younger years, he was drawn to finance and even toyed with the idea of becoming a restaurateur, according to Tatler Asia.
“I have a very fond interest in food, and the emergence of lifestyle enclaves like Keong Saik and Tiong Bahru in the early 2000s got me really interested in that business,” he explains. “It seemed very glamorous and fun from the outside.”
In a 2020 interview referenced by The Straits Times, he mentioned that some of his favorite dishes included laksa, roti prata, chicken rice, and Milo dinosaur.
To fuel his busy days, he reportedly drinks around eight cups of coffee daily.
Humble and friendly
Though he comes from a billionaire family, Kishin is known to be humble and approachable with everyone he meets, according to a close friend of his.
“We often have meals together and he will greet people with the same warmth whether it is the server, a fund manager or a property tycoon – he is equally at ease with everyone,” the friend told The Business Times.
Kishin has also shown his commitment to giving back to the community. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tiffin Labs, a food firm he co-founded, launched a charitable foundation called Food is Love to distribute meals to vulnerable individuals and families in Singapore.
“We want to make sure there is food in every household. That no one goes hungry,” he said at the time.
