Thanks to a wave of IPOs, Brazil has 40 new billionaires in Q1 of 2021, according to Forbes

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Despite the pandemic and deteriorating economic indicators, the number of Brazilian billionaires increased in the first months of 2021 to 315, with at least 40 more people reaching a wealth of at least one billion Brazilian reais (about US$200 million) this year, according to Forbes Magazine, due to the increase in stock market offerings.

According to Forbes, the financial incentives introduced worldwide to combat the crisis have fueled the capital market and have been one of the main factors behind the increase in wealth of the super-rich. In the first quarter of this year, B3 saw more than 40 equity issues, including IPOs and follow-on issues.

Considering the breakdown by families and newcomers, the ranking includes 77 more names than last year, a total of 315 Brazilians. The cumulative wealth of all billionaires in the country in 2021 is R$1.9 trillion.

With R$7.54 billion, Marcelo Rodolfo Hahn, owner of Blau Farmacêutica, is the richest among the newcomers at age 52. His company debuted on B3 in April 2021.

The founder of cashback company Méliuz, Israel Fernandes Salmen, was also included in the list after his company went public. The 33-year-old entrepreneur has assets of R$1.15 billion.

In addition, the boom of IPOs in Brazil has led the country to have the fifth largest market capitalization in the world, with about R$5.5 (about US$1.1) trillion distributed among 388 companies.

The list is based on the criteria of the North American Forbes and has the listed companies as its main source of information. The equity calculation was completed on June 30, 2021.

The oldest Brazilian billionaire is also the youngest, according to Forbes magazine’s richest list. Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin tops the rankings at 39 and has a fortune estimated at R$97.5 billion, mainly based on his stake in the social media giant.

The magazine identified equity as one of the key factors for enrichment in 2021, as capital markets remained hot during the pandemic.

1º Eduardo Saverin – Facebook social networking site, 97.5 billion Brazilian reais

2º Jorge Paulo Lemann – Ambif / Warranty 96.5 billion Brazilian reais

3º Marcel Hermann Telles – Ambif / Warranty 64.5 billion Brazilian reais

4º Carlos Alberto da Vega Secubera – Ambif / Warranty 49.5 billion Brazilian reais

5º Rubens Ometo Silvera Milo – Cosan 46 billion Brazilian reais

6º Andre Santos Esteves – Banco BTG Charter 39.5 billion Brazilian reais

7º Vicky – Harvest bank 37 billion Brazilian reais

8º Alexandre Behring da Costa – 3G Capital 36.5 billion Brazilian reais

9º Jacob, Esther, Alberto, and David Safra – Harvest bank 35.5 billion Brazilian reais

10º Alceu Elias Feldmann – Vertibar 30.5 billion Brazilian reais