Bill Gates transferred £1.43bn in stocks to Melinda on day divorce was announced

Melinda Gates could become world’s second-richest woman

Bill Gates transferred over 2bn (£1.43bn) in stocks to his wife Melinda on the day they announced their divorce.

Cascade investments, a holding company owned by the software developer, transferred stock in two of Mexico’s largest companies to the American philanthropist on Monday.

According to Bloomberg, the regulatory filings dated 3 May state that Cascade transferred stock worth more than $500m (£359m) in Coca-Cola Femsa and Grupo Televisa to her control.

They also transferred 14.1 million shares of Canadian National Railway Co worth approximately $1.5bn (£1.07bn) and 2.9 million shares of American automotive retailer AutoNation, bringing the total amount she has received in the past few days to more than $2bn (£1.43bn).

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Mr Gates is worth $145.4bn (£104bn).

In the divorce appeal that Ms Gates filed this week, she requested the couple’s consolidated fortune to be split equally.

The appeal likewise uncover that the couple, who wedded in 1994, did not consent to a prenuptial agreement – which could explain the 50-50 split.

Therefore, The Moment of Life author could soon become the world’s second-richest woman after L’Oreal owner Françoise Bettencourt Meyers ,whose inherited fortune is worth around $83bn (£59.6bn).

In a joint statement, the couple announced that they were parting ways after being married for 27 years.

Ms Gates said in court filings that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.”

Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates speak at the Lincoln Centre in 2018 (Getty Images)

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the couple said in a statement.

“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.

“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”

They ended their statement by asking for space and privacy as they “begin to navigate this new life”.

During their time together, the couple has established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the world’s largest charitable foundation that has contributed more than $50bn (£35bn) to causes including eradicating malaria and polio.