✎ About Joseph Safra

Joseph Safra was born on 1939 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Brazil. Joseph Safra, descendant of a banking family from Syria, is the world's richest banker. In Brazil he owns Banco Safra, the country's eighth largest bank, which caters primarily to high net worth clients. In Switzerland he owns J. Safra Sarasin, which was formed in 2013 when he merged Bank Sarasin with his other European banks. His oldest son, Jacob, is responsible for all international operations outside of Brazil, including the bank in Europe, Safra National Bank of New York and real estate holdings across the U.S. His two other sons, David and Alberto, manage Banco Safra in Brazil. He also owns 50% of Chiquita Brands International, a London skyscraper nicknamed the Gherkin and a dozen properties in the U.S., primarily in New York City. T Joseph's brother Moise, also a billionaire, died in 2014; their brother Edmond, a billionaire as well, died in 1999 in a fire in his apartment under suspicious circumstances.
Joseph Safra is a member of Finance

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Biography/Timeline

1952

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.

2013

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