The 15 richest families in Brazil (2023)

whenThe first FORBES list of billionaires was published in 1987,There were only three Brazilians: Sebastião Camargo, founder of the São Paulo industrial group Camargo Correa, who also owns the well-known flip-flop brand Havaianas. Antonio Ermirio de Moraes, one of the controlling shareholders of the Votorantim Group, a giant Brazilian producer of raw materials from cellulose to cement. and Roberto Marinho, who transformed a small newspaper inherited by his father in 1925 into the largest media empire in Latin America, Organizações Globo.

Today, with the exception of Ermírio de Moraes, the only surviving member of Brazil's original trio of billionaires, all of Camargo and Marinho's children are billionaires and members of some of Brazil's wealthiest families. Ermírio de Moraes' brother and sister, along with his late brother's children, are also billionaires in their own right.

Being born into billion-dollar fortunes is still the best way to reach billionaire status at some point in the future, even as heirs decline as a percentage of the FORBES world's billionaire list. About two-thirds of the 1,645 names on the 2014 list are self-made billionaires, while 207 inherited their wealth and another 352 inherited at least part but managed to increase it.

Brazil is no exception. As the country's growing wealth creates moremillionairesebillionairesmore than ever, wealthy families get a big piece of the pie. Outside65 Brazilian billionairesincluded by FORBES in our latest list of the world's billionaires, 25 are blood relatives. Eight families have multiple members in our latest rankings. FORBÉStry whenever possiblelist individuals individually, but some families in Brazil have billions of dollars fortunes that are shared by multiple individuals, none of whom are billionaires in their own right and therefore not on our annual list.

This is the case of the Odebrechts, who control one of the largest industrial groups in Brazil and are certainly one of the richest families in the country (about 15 family members share the fortune). the Setúbals, who are among the auditors of the publicly traded Itaú Unibanco Holding, and others. Shareholders' equity was calculated based on stock prices and exchange rates as of Friday, May 9th. together the15 richest families in Brazilthey deserve an appreciation122 billion dollars- or about 5% of the country's GDP.

As Brazil's family business culture means that many of the country's largest companies are still controlled by families, these companies are likely to continue to create wealth for their owners. Not surprisingly:according to Exame magazine, 6 of the 10 largest conglomerates in Brazil are controlled by families. Some of these dynasties shaped entire industries, including media, banking and construction.

Take the example of Roberto Marinho's children – billionaires Roberto Irineu, João Roberto and José Roberto, whose combined fortune of US$28.3 billion makes them the richest family in Brazil. The Marinho brothers own 100% of Organizações Globo, which includes Rede Globo, which owns about half of Brazil's television market andachieved sales$4.8 billion last year and a profit of $1.1 billion. Despite being Brazil's largest media company, Globo resisted going public and remains a family business.

The Villelas and the Setúbals also belong to this category. Together, they share control of Itausa, the holding company that in turn controls Itaú Unibanco Holding, the largest private bank in the southern hemisphere. Both families are known in São Paulo as the “quinze”, or families whose history of wealth and power goes back four centuries, until 1500.

Not all Brazilian families managed to maintain such wealth over the years. One of the most notorious examples of loss of fortune is the Matarazzo, a business clan of industrialists of Italian heritage. The Matarazzo business empire was the largest in Brazil and possibly all of Latin America in the early 1900s, employing over 30,000 workers in 367 factories (textiles, food, 80 and a few other miscellaneous products). However, in 1983, 101 years after its founding, the Matarazzo Group succumbed to debts totaling $160 million and filed for financial reorganization. At the time, the Matarazzos attributed their problems to the government's economic policies.

To be prepared for such adversity, public offerings have become a way for Brazilian family businesses to finance their expansion. Over the past five years or so, Brazil has seen a wave of companies requesting IPOs, the origins of which date back to mid-2005 when, after more than a decade of spartan economic policies, the country began to show signs of having fulfilled at least part of the of its mythical potential. The vast majority of these companies are controlled by family groups.

“Families look to outside investors to reduce the risk to their private wealth.”explains Rene Werner, a leading consultant for family businesses. "At the same time, it allows them to realize their business potential."

For many Brazilian families looking to increase their financial strength, outside shareholders may be needed to achieve this.

here the15 richest families in Brazil:

1. marine- 3 brothers, all billionaires (Roberto Irineu Marinho,Joao Roberto Marinho,José Roberto Marinho). Combined net worth:$28.9 billion. Source of wealth: Media.

2. Harvest- 3 relatives, all billionaires (José Safra,Moses Safra,Crop Lily). Combined net worth:$20.1 billion. Source of wealth: banking.

3. Hermitage of Moraes- 6 relatives, all billionaires (Antonio Ermirio de Moraes,Hermirio Pereira de Moraes,Maria Elena Moraes Skripilliti,José Roberto Hermírio de Moraes,José Hermírio de Moraes NetoeNeide Helena de Moraes). Combined net worth:$15.4 billion. Source of wealth: Votorantim Group.

4. Moreira Sales- 4 brothers, all billionaires (Fernando Roberto MoreiraSales,Joao MoreiraSales,Pedro MoreiraSaleseWalther Moreira Salles Junior). Combined net worth:$12.4 billion. Source of wealth: banking.

5. Camargo- 3 sisters, all billionaires (Rossana Camargo de Arruda Botelho,Renata de Camargo NascimentoeRegina de Camargo Pires Oliveira Dias). Combined net worth:8 billion dollars. Source of wealth: Camargo Correa group.

6. Vila- 5 relatives, 2 billionaires (Alfredo Egydio de Arruda Villela FilhoeAna Lucia de Mattos Barretto Villela). Combined net worth:5 billion dollars. Source of wealth: Itaúsa.

7. Maggie- 5 relatives, 4 billionaires (Lucia Borges Maggi, Blairo Borges Maggi, Marli Maggi Pissollo, Itamar Locks and Hugo de Carvalho Ribeiro). Combined net worth:4.9 billion dollars. Source of wealth: soy.

8. Aguiar- 3 sisters, all billionaires (Lina Maria Aguiar,Lia Maria Aguiarand Maria Angela Aguiar Bellizia). Combined net worth:4.5 billion dollars. Source of wealth: banking.

9.Batista- 10 relatives, no billionaire. Combined Shareholders' Equity:4.3 billion dollars. Source: beef processing.

10.Odebrecht- 15 relatives, no billionaire. Combined net worth:3.9 billion dollars. Source: miscellaneous.

11. Civil dispute- 3 brothers, all billionaires (Giancarlo Francesco Civita,Anamaria Roberta CivitaeVictor Civita Neto). Combined net worth:3.3 billion dollars. Source of wealth: Media.

12. Setúbal- 25 relatives, no billionaires. Combined net worth:3.3 billion dollars. Source of wealth: banking.

13. Hedgehog- 7 relatives, a billionaire (Daisy Igel). Combined net worth:3.2 billion dollars. Source of wealth: gas, petrochemicals.

14. Marcondes Penido- 2 sisters, 1 billionaire (Ana Maria Marcondes Penido Sant'Anna). Combined net worth:2.8 billion dollars. Source of wealth: toll roads.

15. Feffer- 5 brothers, no billionaire. Combined net worth:2.3 billion dollars. Source of wealth: cellulose and paper.