Jacob Safra

Jacob Safra
Born	1891 Aleppo, Syria
Died	1963-05-27
Occupation	Banker
Known for	Founding figure of the Safra family banking dynasty

Jacob Safra (; 1891 – 27 May 1963) was a prominent Syrian banker and the founding figure of the Safra family banking dynasty. The Safras specialized in banking and gold trading, facilitating commerce among Beirut, Aleppo, Istanbul, and Alexandria.

Biography

Originating from Aleppo, Syria, the Safra family amassed their fortune by financing trade caravans across the Middle East. During the early 1900s, as the Ottoman Empire was waning, Jacob Safra moved to Beirut in 1914 to open a branch of the mid-19th-century-established Safra Frères Bank. In the 1920s, he launched his own bank, capitalizing on the family's longstanding expertise in currency and gold exchange.

Operating out of Lebanon, Banco Jacob E. Safra became a trusted financial institution for wealthy Sephardic Jewish families in Syria and Lebanon, offering discreet management of both personal and commercial assets. The bank provided credit and savings services primarily to agricultural merchants, precious metal traders, and other business clients. Later, it was renamed Banque de crédit national S.A.L. (BCN), ranking among Lebanon's five oldest banking establishments.

In 1952, Jacob Safra relocated to Brazil with his sons Elie, Edmond, Joseph, and Moise. Together, they founded a financial institution in Brazil in 1955, marking the family's entry into South America's banking sector.

Personal life

Jacob Safra wed his cousin Esther Teira (1904–1943) in 1920. They were parents to four sons—Elie, Edmond, Joseph, and Moise—and four daughters: Evelyn, Gabi, Arlette, and Hugette. Esther passed away at age 39 during childbirth in 1943. In 1950, Jacob remarried Marie Dwek (1911–1967).

Safra Square in Jerusalem bears his and his wife's name as a tribute.