G uilherme Benchimol is a Brazilian self-made billionaire who has revolutionized the country's financial services industry. He is the founder and executive chairman of XP Inc., Brazil's largest and most disruptive independent brokerage firm. A former stockbroker, he founded XP in 2001 from a small office with the goal of creating a new kind of investment firm that would challenge the dominance of Brazil's big, traditional banks.

He built XP into a massive financial supermarket, offering a wide range of investment products to retail investors through a vast network of independent financial advisors. The company's focus on investor education and its digital-first platform resonated with a new generation of Brazilian investors. He took the company public in a highly successful IPO on the NASDAQ in 2019, a deal that crystalized his billionaire status. He has since stepped down as CEO but remains the controlling shareholder and chairman, and is one of the most influential figures in Brazilian finance.