Terming India a nation of mobile phones, Ma said, \"This is a nation with which China can work together and it is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs of two countries.

\"India is a great nation. A nation full of potential and hope. We will invest more in India,\" Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's founder and executive chairman Jack Ma said.

Other contenders for the top honour include Russian President Vladimir Putin, teenage Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and Ebola doctors and nurses.

The shopping day, similar to Cyber Monday and Black Friday in the US, comes less than eight weeks after Alibaba's record $25 billion public share listing in New York.

Alibaba's revenue registered its fastest growth in three quarters, at 53.7 per cent, to US $2.74 billion, versus expected sales of US $2.7 billion.

Xiaomi's burgeoning TV unit includes its Xiaomi TV as well as a set-top box, which both use its software and content.

The 'World's 100 Most InDemand Employers: 2014' was based on billions of interactions from LinkedIn's over 300 million members.

Apart from telecom and technology firms, car makers Tesla Motors, Toyota and BMW as well as firms like Nike, Shell, Airbus and McDonald's also featured among the top 50.

Jack Ma had said on Monday that he would be \"very interested\" in teaming with Apple to bring Apple Pay to China.

India was represented by three entrepreneurs with combined net worth of $40.65 billion while China led with five businessmen with assets worth $67.1 billion.

Chinese hospitality technology provider Beijing Shiji Information Technology provides IT consulting to hotels in China's fast-growing market.

Ma knocked Wang Jianlin, head of the Wanda property group, into second place with $24.2 billion, according to this year's list of China's super-rich by Hurun Reports Inc.

After Alibaba and some of its shareholders sold additional shares, Alibaba's IPO surpassed the previous global record set by Agricultural Bank of China in 2010.

It was an auspicious debut for the Chinese e-commerce company, which was founded by Jack Ma in his apartment in 1999 and now accounts for 80 per cent of online sales in China.

Alibaba raised $21.8 billion in its debut, making it the biggest U.S.-listed IPO in history after the IPO of credit card processing company Visa in 2008.

Shares of the Chinese e-commerce giant will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange on September 19 under the ticker \"BABA\".

Yahoo has completed a long-awaited $7.6 billion deal with China's Alibaba Group, generating a windfall that could help ease the pain of Yahoo shareholders who have endured the company's foibles during the past few years.

The deal will see Alibaba Group buying back half of its 40 per cent stake from Yahoo Inc for $6.3 billion cash and up to $800 million of Alibaba preference shares.

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has hired US-based lobbying firm Duberstein in a move linked to a possible takeover bid for internet giant Yahoo Inc.

Silver Lake Partners and Blackstone Group LP are among the firms that have expressed interest in teaming up with AOL, or take it private on their own, The Wall Street Journal said.