Entrepreneurship is still not the main mark of the fortune of the greatest Brazilian billionaires, according to Forbes’ annual ranking. Around here, the rich tend to inherit most of the money.
Of the 62 Brazilians with more than US$ 1 billion, 34 of them are continuing family businesses to maintain their wealth.
Leading the list of billionaire heirs are the four sons of banker Joseph Safra, whose net worth is quoted at $7.7 billion, according to Forbes. He died in December 2020.
Other names that appear in the ranking are those of the four Moreira Salles brothers: Pedro, Fernando, João and Walter. They are part of one of the oldest banking families in the country and together they have a net worth of US$ 7.3 billion (R$ 33.8 billion).
The list also includes other traditional names, such as Ermínio de Moraes (Votorantim) and Abílio Diniz (Pão de Açúcar).
The predominance of the family legacy among the richest is a scenario that is repeated in the rest of Latin America.
Five billionaires considered ‘self-made man’
At the top of the list, the scenario is different. The five biggest Brazilian billionaires are “self-made”.
They are (in order, according to Forbes ranking):
Jorge Paulo Lemann Eduardo Saverin Marcel Herrmann Telles Jorge Moll Filho Carlos Alberto Sicupira
Lemann, Hermann Telles and Sicupira are controlling shareholders of the world’s largest brewer, AB Inbev (owner of Ambev), but they also own shares in Restaurant Brands International, parent company of Burger King and Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons, in addition to holding shares in at 3G Capital, a private equity firm that owns Heinz.
The second place on the list belongs to the co-founder of Facebook, the Brazilian Eduardo Saverin. He has a net worth of US$ 10.6 billion (R$ 49.2 billion).
Jorge Moll Filho is a cardiologist and made his fortune investing in hospitals and laboratories in Brazil. He is the founder of Rede D’Or and today accumulates more than US$ 9.8 billion (R$ 45.5 billion).
Group changes little
With the exception of a few names that have already dropped from the list, such as Eike Batista, most of the lucky ones in the ranking have been in the group for more than 10 years. They just move up and down positions, especially the heirs.
Two names that broke the bubble and joined the list of the richest in Brazil in 2022 were young Henrique Dubugras, 26, and Pedro Franceschi, 25. They are also part of the ranking of the 12 biggest billionaires in the world under the age of 30.
Both are founders of a fintech that aims to overhaul the corporate credit card. The fortune of each is worth $1.5 billion.
In fact, young people in the technology sector have been moving large amounts of money around the world, according to Forbes.
Of the top 12 billionaires under three decades old, worth $25.8 billion:
60% amassed a fortune on their own with digital businesses (cryptocurrencies, fintechs, food delivery apps and payment software) 40% inherited family money
They represent less than 0.5% of the 2,668 billionaires Forbes found in 2022.
