Khaby Lame has officially entered a new league.
The Senegalese-Italian TikTok superstar has closed a landmark business deal valued between $900 million and $975 million, setting one of the highest financial benchmarks ever recorded in the global creator economy.
On January 23, 2026, Hong Kong–based Rich Sparkle Holdings acquired Step Distinctive Limited, Khaby lame’s core operating company, in an all-stock transaction involving 75 million shares. The announcement sent Rich Sparkle’s stock soaring by more than 250 percent in a single day, signaling strong investor confidence in the long-term power of creator-led businesses.
More importantly, the deal confirms a major shift in how digital influence now translates into corporate-level value.
Born in Senegal and raised in Italy, Serigne Khabane “Khaby” Lame rose to fame during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. At the time, he worked as a factory employee in Chivasso. However, a smartphone, sharp timing, and expressive gestures changed his life.
Through short videos that mocked complicated life hacks with simple solutions, Khaby built a universal language of humor. As a result, his content crossed borders, cultures, and age groups without translation.
Today, he commands more than 162 million followers on TikTok and over 250 million fans across all platforms, making him the most-followed creator on the app and one of the most influential digital figures on Earth.
Step Distinctive Limited manages the business side of that influence. The company oversees his TikTok Shop operations, e-commerce ventures, merchandise lines, and brand partnerships. Before the sale, Lame owned 49 percent of the company, which translates to a personal payout estimated at $441 million.
As part of the agreement, Rich Sparkle Holdings secured exclusive commercial rights to the Khaby Lame brand for three years. This includes global licensing, campaign management, digital commerce expansion, and the creation of an AI-powered “digital twin” of the creator.
The hyper-realistic AI version will appear in advertisements and promotional content across multiple regions. Meanwhile, Lame’s team will maintain creative control to protect his signature silent style and comedic identity.
In effect, brands will soon collaborate with Khaby Lame at scale, without depending on his physical presence.
This move directly addresses common challenges in influencer marketing, such as tight schedules, travel limits, and campaign delays. Furthermore, it opens the door to 24-hour global campaigns, multilingual content delivery, and continuous livestream commerce.
Industry analysts project that the system could generate over $4 billion annually in live-commerce sales once fully optimized.
Across the United States, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa, where Khaby’s audience continues to grow, the deal is expected to accelerate product distribution, streamline logistics, and deepen consumer engagement.
Notably, Lame still retains control over his personal brand and creative output. In other words, he remains both the face and the architect of his empire.
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Creators no longer operate as temporary internet celebrities. Instead, they now build scalable companies, manage intellectual property portfolios, and deploy advanced technology to multiply revenue streams.
Similar strategies already power the business models of creators like MrBeast, who has expanded into food, retail, and financial services. However, Khaby’s deal pushes the ceiling even higher.
From factory floors to corporate boardrooms, his story mirrors the digital transformation of opportunity itself.
One market commentator summed it up simply: “A skit maker is now almost a billionaire.”
This transaction proves that African-born talent can shape global markets, influence investment behavior, and redefine modern entrepreneurship. It also confirms that creativity, when paired with technology and strategic structure, can evolve into generational wealth.
As the creator economy matures, deals of this scale may soon become more common. Human storytelling and artificial intelligence will increasingly work side by side, changing how entertainment, advertising, and commerce intersect.
For Khaby Lame, this moment marks more than a financial milestone.
It signals the beginning of a new era, where digital creators stand not just as entertainers, but as powerful global business institutions.
And the world is paying attention.
