The world's richest man proves he's also the world's biggest giver

Bill Gates has donated over $4.6bn (£3.6bn) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in what could be the world’s largest charity donation.

The Microsoft founder donated 64m Microsoft shares according to a US Securities & Exchange Commission filing.

Gates and his wife set up the charity with an initial $5bn funding pot to improve global healthcare and reduce extreme poverty.

Currently the richest man in the world, Gates' donation represent about 5% of his current $90bn fortune.

Bill and Melinda Gates have donated a total of $35bn since 1994. They donated $16bn worth of Microsoft shares in 1999 and followed it up with another $5.1bn a year later.

It has enabled the Gates Foundation to become the world’s largest private charity with $40.3bn of funds, before the latest gift.

Gates and Warren Buffett created the Giving Pledge in 2010, a promise to give at least half of their wealth to charity, and called on other billionaires to join them. More than 170 of the world’s richest people,

More than 170 of the world’s richest people, including Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Bloomberg and George Lucas, have so far signed up.