Items18The creator’s order
  1. 1Carlos SlimCarlos SlimBorn 28 Jan 19401. Mexico, about 125 billion dollars, a figure Forbes gives for Slim and his family together. The core is control of América Móvil, Latin America's largest mobile operator, built from the 1990 privatisation of Telmex, plus Grupo Carso's construction, retail and industrial businesses and stakes in…0i
  2. 2Germán Larrea Mota-VelascoGermán Larrea Mota-Velasco2. Mexico, about 67.1 billion dollars. Larrea controls Grupo México, whose Southern Copper subsidiary is one of the world's largest copper miners, as well as railway and infrastructure businesses. The big jump in his fortune reflects high copper prices, so his position is more exposed to commodity…0
  3. 3Iris FontbonaIris Fontbona3. Chile, about 52.6 billion dollars, valued by Forbes for Fontbona and her family. She is the widow of Andrónico Luksic Abaroa, and the family controls the London-listed copper miner Antofagasta and the holding company Quiñenco, with interests in banking (Banco de Chile), drinks and shipping. Her…0
  4. 4Eduardo SaverinEduardo SaverinBorn 19 Mar 19824. Brazil, about 35.9 billion dollars. Saverin's wealth comes mainly from the stake in Meta he kept from co-founding Facebook, and he runs the venture firm B Capital from Singapore, where he lives. He is the odd one out here: his fortune has no connection to a Latin American business, though Forbes…0i
  5. 5André EstevesAndré EstevesBorn 12 Jul 19685. Brazil, about 20.2 billion dollars, nearly three times his 2025 figure. Esteves is the senior partner of BTG Pactual, Latin America's largest investment bank, which he built, sold to UBS in 2006 and bought back in 2009. His brief arrest in a 2015 corruption investigation cost him the…0i
  6. 6Jorge Paulo LemannJorge Paulo LemannBorn 26 Aug 19396. Brazil, about 19.8 billion dollars for Lemann and his family. With partners Marcel Telles and Beto Sicupira, who also appear on this list, he built Garantia bank, then a brewing empire that became AB InBev, and 3G Capital, whose holdings have included Burger King owner Restaurant Brands and…0i
  7. 7Alejandro BaillèresAlejandro Baillères7. Mexico, about 19.5 billion dollars. Baillères chairs Grupo BAL, inherited from his father Alberto in 2022, which includes the silver and gold miner Industrias Peñoles and Fresnillo, the El Palacio de Hierro department stores and insurance and pension businesses. Like Larrea's, his recent rise…0i
  8. 8Jaime Gilinski BacalJaime Gilinski BacalBorn 14 Dec 19578. Colombia, about 14.7 billion dollars, the richest Colombian for a second year. Gilinski built his fortune in banking, chiefly Banco GNB Sudameris, and in 2022 took control of the food group Nutresa and large stakes in Grupo Sura after a long takeover fight. He also develops property, including a…0i
  9. 9David VélezDavid Vélez9. Colombia, about 14.5 billion dollars. Vélez is the only founder in this top ten who built his fortune from a start-up: he co-founded the São Paulo digital bank Nubank in 2013 and remains chief executive of Nu Holdings, listed in New York since 2021, with over 100 million customers across Brazil,…0i
  10. 10Juan Carlos EscotetJuan Carlos Escotet10. Venezuela, about 11.3 billion dollars; he also holds Spanish citizenship. Escotet started as a bank messenger at seventeen, founded Banesco, which grew into one of Venezuela's largest banks with operations across the region, and in 2013 bought the Spanish lender Abanca, now the main source of…0