Joseph Safra Secretive billionaire Joseph Safra hails from a banking family believed to date back to the caravan trade during the Ottoman Empire. The Syrian-born billionaire has been described as the richest banker in the world and with good reason. He has an estimated fortune of around $14.5bn, while his family and its banks have more than… Secretive billionaire Joseph Safra hails from a banking family believed to date back to the caravan trade during the Ottoman Empire. The Syrian-born billionaire has been described as the richest banker in the world and with good reason. He has an estimated fortune of around $14.5bn, while his family and its banks have more than $200bn in assets under management. Outside of banking, Safra commands a sizeable real estate portfo- lio consisting of the Gherkin building in London, the 660 Madison Avenue office complex in Midtown Manhattan and sev- eral prime locations in Lower Manhattan. In his country of residence, Brazil, he has also emerged as a powerful philanthropist, funding several hospitals. Chairman, Safra Group Origin:Syria Residence:Brazil Sector:Banking