Asia has more billionaires than any other continent, a survey by a China-based wealth magazine showed on Thursday, overtaking North America for the first time.

Chinese billionaires have lost one-third of their combined wealth over the past year, according to new research, reported CBNC Monday.

The latest annual World Ultra Health Report 2012-2013 by wealth research firm Wealth-X revealed that Chinese billionaires lost value equivalent to US$160 billion from the period August 2011 to July 2012.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are the world’s most powerful women, according to Forbes magazine’s annual survey.

Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles have topped Forbes magazine’s World’s Highest Paid Celebrity Couples list 2012.

Forbes reports that thanks to Beyonce’s $40 million and Jay-Z’s $38 million earned between May of 2011 and May of 2012, the couple’s combined income of $78 million puts them in the top spot this year.

Forbes‘ new list has declared Hollywood star Tom Cruise world’s highest earning actor after he took home $75 million between May 2011 to May 2012.

While Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol collected close to $700 million worldwide, the 1980s musical Rock of Agesstarring Cruise wasn’t a big draw.

Last year’s highest-paid actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, placed equal second on the list with Comic actor Adam Sandler after each collected $37 million.

Bloomberg has released the “Bloomberg Billionaires Index,” the first daily global ranking of the richest people in the world as part of their coverage of wealth.

The index, changes daily depending on stock fluctuations and economic/company news dynamically measured on changing markets and will be updated every business day at 5:30 p.m.

Bloomberg Professional service customers can access each billionaire’s profile including detailed analysis of how that person’s fortune has been tallied drawing on Bloomberg data and reporting.