The man regarded as the world's richest banker — Joseph Safra — died of natural causes at the age of 82 on Thursday.

"It is with great regret that we received notice of the loss of Joseph Safra," the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban) said in a statement, adding he was an emblematic figure in the financial sector.

Safra, who was descended from bankers, "had a strategic view of the country, and set an example as an entrepreneur and philanthropist," the statement continued.

Safra was born in 1938 in Beirut, Lebanon, but in the 1960s he emigrated to Brazil, where he and his brother Moise built a banking and investment empire.

With a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $23.2 billion (€19.1 billion), Safra was ranked as the 64th richest person in the world and his financial group bought the Gherkin building, one of the most distinctive structures on London's skyline, in 2014.

Alongside his enterprises, Safra "supported countless social, religious and cultural causes, such as the construction and renovation of hospitals, day care centers, museums and religious temples of all faiths," the family-controlled Safra Group said.

Joseph Safra is survived by his wife, Vicky, whom he married in 1969, their four children and 14 grandchildren.

jsi/rc (dpa, AFP)