David Vélez, founder of Nubank, has been included in the Forbes Iconoclast 50 list, which highlights leaders transforming sectors like finance and technology.
Vélez, born in Medellín, Colombia, and aged 44, leads Nubank, founded in 2013 and now serving about 135 million clients. He bet on mobile banking services in Brazil, avoiding lines at traditional bank branches. Vélez’s net worth is estimated at 12 billion dollars, or 62 billion reais. In January, he obtained authorization from the United States to open a bank in the country, marking a step in Nubank’s international expansion. The Forbes Iconoclast 50 list also includes Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Tim Cook of Apple, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Ryan Coogler.