Joseph Safra (Brazilian
Jewish Banker), was born in
Beirut (Lebanon)
in 1939, to a Jewish family with a long banking tradition.
Joseph Safra is the founder, along with his brothers Edmund and Moses, and current Director of the Safra Bank in Brazil
Safra ranks 46th on Forbes list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of 15.9 billion dollar
The magazine also considered to Joseph Safra as the richest Banker in the World
In 1952, the Safra family immigrated to Brazil
In 1955, the brother of Joseph (Edmond Safra) and his father (Jacob Safra) began working in Brazil by financing assets in São Paulo
In 1956, Edmond Safra, with only twenty-four years old, founded the Bank of Foreign Trade Development in Geneva (Switzerland)
Soon, Edmond Safra decided to settle in New York, where he founded the Republic National Bank of New York (later sold to HSBC in 1999; he donated most of his money to the Edmond Safra Foundation)
He also donated large sums of money to the synagogue of the city of New York, American University of Beirut, Yeshiva University and the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem
On December 1999, Edmond Safra was found dead at his home in Monaco
His widow, Lily Safra continued his philanthropic work, currently; she is the Director of the Edmond Safra Philanthropic Foundation
Recently, part of the jewels of the family was auctioned for 38 million dollars and dedicated to philanthropic causes
Joseph Safra founded the Safra Bank in 1955; today is the sixth largest private Bank in Brazil. Mr Safra remains President of the Safra Group. The Bank offers banking services in Europe, North and South America