Luxury-brand awareness is growing among China’s super rich, who recognize 20% more of the lavish brands than they did last year, according to the Hurun Report.

The 2011 Best of The Best Survey, which interviewed 401 Chinese mainland millionaires, each with assets of more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), said the super rich in China are developing more sophisticated tastes in luxury products.

“Chinese entrepreneurs are getting more and more sophisticated, discerning and confident in their personal style, and what they aspire to, as they try to turn new money into old money,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, founder of the Hurun Report.

The Golden Nugget hotel in downtown Las Vegas is living up to its name with the installation of an ATM that dispenses gold instead of cash.

Visitors are now able to buy gold coins and 24-karat “bars” weighing from 1 gram to 1 ounce at the new Gold to Go machine.

Prices automatically adjust every 10 minutes to reflect actual market value. The one ounce coin, at the moment, goes for about $1,400.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is reportedly flying in the Black Eyed Peas to perform at his New Year’s Eve party in St Bart’s, the Telegraph reports.

The Russian billionaire owns a $90 million, 70-acre estate on the Caribbean island and the hip hop band will perform for guests seeing in 2011 there.

His estate in St Bart’s, which is situated on a lush hillside, includes swimming pools, pavilions and bungalows with ocean views for guests.

Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk spent $6.2 million on Saturday night to entertain 300 guests at his 50th-birthday party in the posh French ski resort of Courchevel.

He not only flew in Canada’s Cirque du Soleil but also hired superchef Alain Ducasse to prepare the menu at one of Courchevel’s 11 five-star hotels.

But the steel magnate’s birthday blowout revolted many locals in an area tired of being a winter playground for the Eastern European jet set.

Stanley Ho recently matched his own world record price paid for a truffle when he bought a couple white truffles for a total cost of $330,000 at a truffle auction.

The billionaire made his winning bid through representatives at the event held at his own Grand Lisboa hotel in Macau last week end.

Ho’s winning bid bought him a giant truffle from Italy’s central Tuscany region that weighed about 900 grams and a smaller one of about 400 grams.

Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani has hosted a lavish housewarming party to show off his just-completed new skyscraper residence.

Some 80 of India’s rich and famous attended the party on Friday night at the 27-storey building, which dominates the Mumbai skyline.

Indian novelist Shobhaa De called the building – reported to be the world’s priciest private residence -”the Taj Mahal of the 21st century”.