Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong ranked 18th on Bloomberg’s annual list of the “50 Most Influential People in the World of Finance” published Thursday.

Bloomberg’s 50 Most Influential list -- now in its sixth edition -- highlights prominent figures who command the most power and influence over global financial markets, as chosen by Bloomberg’s senior reporters and editors worldwide.

Lee made the Bloomberg list alongside other chiefs of major tech companies such as Tesla Motors co-founder CEO Elon Musk, who ranked No. 11, as well as diverse leaders, politicians and chiefs of financial institutions.

The international business news firm described Lee, Samsung’s de facto leader and the eldest son of ailing Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, as a chaebol leader whose “role in the Korean economy can’t be overstated.”

“Revenue across all of (Samsung’s) units equal about 20 percent of Korea’s gross domestic product. Running the show these days is Jay Y. Lee, the eldest child of the company’s founder, who has been ill since 2014,” Bloomberg said.

Many are closely watching new developments at Samsung Electronics, which generates about 70 percent of the group’s revenue, to size up the younger Lee’s leadership, it added.

While noting that Lee has acted decisively to quickly conduct a global recall of its new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones equipped with defective batteries susceptible to explosions, Bloomberg pointed out that “the damage to Samsung’s reputation continues to grow.”

Meanwhile, topping the Bloomberg list as the world’s most influential figure in the world of finance was UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who rose to power after Britain’s landmark vote to leave the European Union in June.

“She has everything to gain if she can negotiate thorny matters, such as whether banks, insurers and investment firms will be able to continue doing business in the EU from their London bases,” the news agency said.

US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton together ranked second on the list, followed by China’s President Xi Jinping coming in at fourth place and Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in fifth place.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)