Joseph Safra

Joseph Safra (Arabic: يوسف صفرا‎ ; born 1938) is a Swiss-based Lebanese Brazilian[8][3][4] banker and billionaire businessman, who runs the Brazilian banking and investment empire, Safra Group.[9][10] He is the chairman of all Safra companies, among them Safra National Bank of New York and Banco Safra headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil.[7] As of August 2020, Forbes reported Safra's estimated net worth at US$22.8 billion, the 52nd richest person in the world and richest in Brazil.[7]

Joseph Safra
Born1938 (age 81–82)[1]
Beirut, Lebanon[2][3][4]
NationalityLebanese
Brazilian [5]
OrganizationSafra Group
Known forThe richest banker in the world[6]
Net worthUS$22.8 billion (August 2020)[7]
Spouse(s)Vicky Sarfati
Children4[7]
Parent(s)Jacob Safra (father)
FamilyMoise Safra (brother)
Edmond Safra (brother)
Lily Safra (sister-in-law)

Early life

Joseph Safra was born in Beirut, Lebanon[11][3][4] to a Sephardic Jewish family with banking connections dating back to Ottoman times,[12][13] and grew up in Beirut.[14] The family's history in banking originated with caravan trade between Beirut, Aleppo, Alexandria and Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire.

The Safra family moved to Brazil in 1952. In 1955, Joseph's 23-year-old brother, Edmond Safra, and his father, Jacob Safra, started working in Brazil by financing assets in São Paulo. But soon, Edmond Safra separated from his brothers Joseph and Moise and headed to New York where he founded the Republic National Bank of New York (which he later sold to HSBC in 1999 and donated most of his money to the Edmond Safra Foundation). Joseph Safra founded Banco Safra in 1955 and today it is reportedly the 6th largest private bank in Brazil. He remains the chairman of the Safra Group offering banking services throughout Europe, North and South America.[15]

Joseph Safra acquired the remaining shares of Safra Group companies from his brother Moise Safra. The two brothers maintain a shareholding in Fibria Cellulose.

Personal life

Safra lives in Geneva, Switzerland.[7]

He has four children: Jacob J. Safra, Esther Safra (married to Carlos Dayan, son of Sasson Dayan), Alberto J. Safra, David J. Safra.[16] Jacob is responsible for all international operations outside of Brazil while David and Alberto, manage Banco Safra in Brazil.[16]

Property

In 2013, Joseph Safra's family acquired more than a dozen properties in the US, primarily in New York City. They also own a portfolio of commercial real estate in Brazil.[17] In 2014, Safra paid more than £700 million to buy The Gherkin, one of the most distinctive towers in the City of London.[18][19]

Business holdings
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References
  1. "The Safra Dynasty: The Mysterious Family of the Richest Banker in the World". businessinsider.com. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  2. 'Joseph Safra (1956) and Joseph Safra (1956), information from the National Archives, Rio de Janeiro. Scan of Joseph Safra's Brazilian entry visa on 1956 on familysearch.org
  3. "Bloomberg Billionaires Index - Joseph Safra". Retrieved 24 April 2019 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  4. arielhauter. "Joseph Safra -". ARTnews. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  5. Joseph Safra (1956) and Joseph Safra (1956), information from the National Archives, Rio de Janeiro. Scan of Joseph Safra's Brazilian entry visa on 1956 on familysearch.org
  6. https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/jewish-philanthropist-becomes-brazils-richest-person
  7. "Forbes profile: Joseph Safra". Forbes. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  8. Joseph Safra (1956) and Joseph Safra (1956), information from the National Archives, Rio de Janeiro. Scan of Joseph Safra's Brazilian entry visa on 1954 on familysearch.org
  9. "Joseph Safra". Forbes. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  10. "Bloomberg - Are you a robot?". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  11. Joseph Safra (1956) and Joseph Safra (1956), information from the National Archives, Rio de Janeiro. Scan of Joseph Safra's Brazilian entry visa on 1956 on familysearch.org
  12. Kasmira Jefford, Gherkin bought by Safra Group: Meet the Brazilian-Lebanese billionaire behind the £700m deal, City A.M., 11 November 2014
  13. "Meet Joseph Safra, The Richest Banker on the Planet". Business Insider.
  14. New York Times: "INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS; The Safras of Brazil: Banking, Faith and Security" By SIMON ROMERO 8 December 1999
  15. "Bloomberg - Bloomberg Billionaires Index". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  16. "Court Accepts Charges Against Brazil Banker Joseph Safra". Jewish Voice. 27 April 2016.
  17. "Joseph Safra". Forbes. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  18. "China's CC Land buys London's cheesegrater for £1.15 billion". Mail Online. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  19. "Safra snaps up the Gherkin for £726m". www.ft.com. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
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