Iris Fontbona and Vicky Safra are the two richest women in Latin America. From Chile and Brazil, they are making history with their legacies and multimillion-dollar fortunes.
There are billionaires all over the world, but where a notable boom in these assets is occurring is in Latin America . In the list of the ten richest people in Latin America , not only is the increase in the net worth of billionaires by 23% this year surprising , but of those ten people, two are women .
The female presence on these lists is more palpable every year . That desired 50% has not yet been reached, but each list is closer . Banking empires, real estate properties or mining businesses are, among others, the sources of wealth of these two women, whose names and figures inspire them to continue adding positions. From Chile and Brazil, these two queens are Iris Fontbona and Vicky Safra , who through their legacy and leadership, are making history.
Iris Fontbona, Chile
Net worth: $ 25.7 billion (up from $23.1 billion in 2023) | Source of wealth: Mining | Nationality: Chile
Iris Fontbona (Antofagasta, 81 years old) is definitively crowned the richest woman in Latin America and the tenth in the world . The matriarch of the Luksic family jumped onto the billionaire lists by inheriting the impressive business empire of her husband Andrónico Luksic , following his death in 2005. The Luksic Group is the owner of the world’s largest copper manufacturer, Antofagasta Minerals , and the shareholder majority of the Quiñeco Group , a conglomerate of companies that has assets in the beer, wood, maritime transport, manufacturing industries and which includes entities such as Banco de Chile , CCU and CSAV .
In his first position as the richest person in Chile and fourth position as the richest person in Latin America , he has managed to retain the family holding company by multiplying income and expanding the scope of his business, such as the Canal television channel or the oil company. Shell in Chile. This billionaire of Catalan grandparents, she also has under her control Adriatic Luxury Hotels , a chain of luxury resorts in Croatia founded by her husband’s family.
Vicky Safra, Brazil
Net worth: $ 20.6 billion (up from $16.7 billion in 2023) | Source of wealth: Banking | Nationality: Brazil
Vicky Safra (Athens, 71 years old) is the fifth richest person in Latin America after the death of her husband in 2020, Joseph Safra , considered the richest banker in the world at that time. The Safra family is the richest lineage in Brazil with its legacy of more than two centuries thanks to its banking empire of Syrian origin, which has expanded to international dimensions, landing in places like Switzerland or New York, whose main headquarters resides in Brazil. She took on the role of leader and main advisor of the family businesses in front of her four children, and through her business skills she has managed to position herself as a relevant figure in the finance market and even managed to expand her empire to Hong Kong and Singapore. .
Vicky, a Greek national with primary residence in Switzerland, is also the owner of high-value real estate properties in key cities, including the Gherkin skyscrapers in London and an office complex on Madison Avenue, New York .
