Barring a few exceptions, the net worth of Latin America’s leading billionaires declined in 2022. And, in the case of those who achieved a nominal increase, not all of them were above the US’s inflation rate (as of November, prices grew 7.1% year-on-year).
Bloomberg Línea made a ranking of the main fortunes in the region at the end of 2022, using Bloomberg data, analyzing the evolution of these riches throughout the year.
#17 Walther Moreira Salles Jr.
Starting from back to front, the region’s 17th largest fortune is held by Brazilian film director Walther Moreira Salles Jr. (66 years old), son of the late ambassador and banker Walter Moreira Salles, and co-owner of the Brazilian bank Itaú Unibanco (ITUB). Overall, he holds the 467th largest fortune in the world
Salles has a net worth of about US$ 5.2 billion and his wealth grew 8.8% between January and December. Surely, the growth will beat US inflation once we see the December 2022 data.
#16 Joao Moreira Salles
Brazilian Joao Moreira Salles (60 years old) is a documentary filmmaker and brother of Walther Salles, as well as Fernando Roberto Moreira Salles and Pedro Salles, who appear later in this list.
Joao Moreira Salles has a net worth of US$ 5.2 billion and holds the 466th place in the Bloomberg world ranking of billionaires. His wealth also grew by 8.8% in 2022.
#15 Luis Sarmiento
Luis Sarmiento (434th in the world ranking), 89 years old, is the president and founder of Grupo Aval, the largest banking group in Colombia. He also owns two insurance providers operating under the Alfa brand, as well as the newspaper El Tiempo and real estate developer Construcciones Planificadas.
Sarmiento has a net worth of US$5.4 billion. In 2022 his holdings saw a 31.3% year-on-year drop.
# 14 Fernando Moreira Salles
The list of billionaires shows, once again, a Moreira Salles: in this case it is Fernando (75 years old), number 14 in Latin America and 433rd in the global ranking.
The Brazilian businessman has a net worth of US$ 5.6 billion and his wealth grew by 14.6% in 2022.
#13 Pedro Moreira Salles
The wealthiest Moreira Salles brother is Pedro (63 years old), Chairman of the Board of Directors of Itaú Unibanco. His fortune is number 419 in the world.
“Pedro Moreira Salles and his brothers share a majority stake in CBMM, the mining company that controls most of the world’s niobium production. The Araxa, Brazil-based company supplies niobium, used to strengthen steel, to some 50 countries. He is also co-chairman of Itaú Unibanco, Latin America’s largest financial institution,” says Bloomberg.
Pedro Moreira Salles has a net worth of US$ 5.6 billion after growing by 9.7% in 2022.
#12 Andre Esteves
The 12th richest person in Latin America at the end of 2022 is Brazilian Andre Esteves (54 years old), president and controlling shareholder of Banco BTG Pactual, the largest investment bank in the region. The Sao Paulo-based institution participates in more than 90% of the financial transactions carried out in Brazil. Esteves also has a stake in Estapar, a publicly traded parking lot operator based in Brazil.
Esteves has a net worth of US$ 6.5 billion, making him the 344th largest fortune in the world.
His wealth saw an impressive growth in 2022: 142.1%.
#11 Eduardo Saverin
The 11th richest Latin American is also Brazilian: Eduardo Saverin (40 years old), co-founder of Meta Platforms Inc. (META), the company behind Facebook. He currently holds a 2% stake in the company.
His net worth, according to a Bloomberg estimate, is of US$ 6.7 billion (330 in the world), but fell by 63.3% in 2022.
#10 Jorge Moll and family
Brazilian Jorge Moll (76 years old) has the tenth largest fortune in Latin America (306 in the world).
Moll is the founder and main shareholder of Rede D’Or Sao Luiz, Brazil’s largest healthcare network. The Rio de Janeiro-based company began operating in 1977 as a diagnosis imaging laboratory before incorporating hospitals and medical clinics. It went public in 2020 and has more than 11,000 beds in its network.
His net worth is estimated at US$7 billion, although it fell by 24.9% throughout 2022.
#9 Juan Beckmann Vidal and family
The ninth highest net worth in the region is in the hands of Mexican Juan Beckmann Vidal (271 in the world) and his family.
Beckmann Vidal, 82, is chairman of Becle, a publicly traded holding company that controls Jose Cuervo, the world’s largest tequila maker. His family is the largest shareholder in the Mexico City-based company, which reported net sales of US$2 billion in 2021. They also own Proximo Spirits, a Mexican alcohol distributor.
Beckmann Vidal has a net worth of about $7.7 billion, but in 2022 his fortune fell by 10.1%.
#8 Carlos Sicupira
Brazilian Carlos Sicupira (74 years old) holds the eighth largest fortune in Latin America and the 244th in the world.
Together with his fellow countrymen Marcel Telles and Jorge Paulo Lemann, Sicupira is a shareholder of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, and owns stakes in Kraft Heinz and Restaurant Brands International, the company behind Burger King. The trio also controls the retailer Lojas Americanas and the developer Sao Carlos.
He has a net worth of US$ 8.1 billion after seeing a 7.5% drop this year.
#7 Marcel Telles
Brazilian Marcel Telles, 72, has the seventh largest net worth in the region and 190th in the world.
As mentioned above, he is a partner of Jorge Paulo Lemann and Carlos Sicupira.
Currently, he has a net worth US$ 9.7 billion, meaning that he saw a 4.2% drop this year.
#6 Alejandro Santo Domingo and family
The sixth highest fortune in the region is held by Colombian Alejandro Santo Domingo (45 years old) and his family. Santo Domingo’s wealth is holds the160th spot globally.
As described by Bloomberg, Alejandro Santo Domingo oversees Colombia’s richest family fortune through the New York-based investment firm Quadrant Capital. The family owns stakes in global brewer AB InBev of Belgium, Corpbanca of Chile and Inmobiliaria Colonial of Spain. They also control Caracol Televisión and other businesses.
Alejandro Santo Domingo has a net worth of US$ 11.4 billion after falling 3.5% this year.
#5 Ricardo Salinas
Mexican businessman Ricardo Salinas (67 years old) has the fifth highest net worth in Latin America (156 in the world).
Salinas is the chairman of Grupo Elektra, a financial services conglomerate which reported 146 billion Mexican pesos in revenue in 2021. The Mexico City-based retail and lending group owns Banco Azteca. The billionaire also owns shares in broadcaster TV Azteca.
Ricardo Salinas has an estimated net worth of US$11.6 billion: it decreased 22.2% in 2022.
#4 Jorge Paulo Lemann
The fourth richest person in Latin America is Brazilian Jorge Paulo Lemann. The 83 year old’s fortune is ranked 67th worldwide.
As mentioned, he is a partner of Marcel Telles and Carlos Sicupira.
He has a net worth of around US$ 21.1 billion after dropping 2.1% in 2022.
#3 Iris Fontbona and family
The only woman who appears in the list of Latin America’s richest people, according to Bloomberg, is Iris Fontbona (80 years old) along with her family. Fontbona holds the 3rd largest fortune in the region and the 52nd worldwide.
Fontbona is the matriarch of Chile’s richest family (Luksic), which controls Antofagasta, a Santiago-based mining company and one of the world’s largest copper producers. Through Quinenco, which is publicly traded, they control Banco de Chile, a copper cable and products manufacturer (Invexans), a brewery (CCU) and a shipping company (CSAV).
Her net worth stands at US$ 23.6 billion and saw a 15.9% increase in 2022.
#2 Germán Larrea and family
Mexican Germán Larrea (81 years old) is the second richest man in Latin America. His and his family’s net worth holds the 50th place worldwide.
Larrea is the president of Grupo Mexico, a publicly traded conglomerate. The company’s mining division has operations in the US, Mexico, Peru and Spain, and reported revenues of US$14.8 billion in 2021. The billionaire also controls Grupo Cinemex, a Mexican movie theater chain.
His net worth is estimated at US$24.1 billion after falling by 6.2% this year.
# 1 Carlos Slim
Mexican businessman Carlos Slim (82 years old) has the largest fortune in Latin America and the 12th largest worldwide.
Slim controls América Móvil, Latin America’s largest cell phone operator. The company, headquartered in Mexico City, saw US$ 42.1 billion in revenue in 2021. Slim also has stakes in the New York Times and commercial banks. Through his family’s investment vehicle, Grupo Carso, he has interests in the Mexican construction industry.
His net worth stands at US$ 77 billion and grew 4.4% in the year. In other words, there was a nominal increase, but it did not beat inflation in the United States.
