Late Billionaire Safra's Nephew Starts U.S. Investment Bank 2006-02-28 00:19 (New York)

By George Stein
Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Joseph Richard Safra, nephew of the late billionaire banker Edmond J. Safra, said he's starting a New York-based investment bank.

Arview Holdings Inc. will advise companies with revenue between $50 million and $500 million, Safra, 43, said in an interview. The elder Safra, who died in 1999, was chairman of Republic New York Corp.

"My uncle was extremely instrumental in not only teaching me the nuts and bolts of private and investment banking, but also, and more importantly, the nuances of building a solid business relationship with clients," Safra said a statement.

The younger Safra began a banking career in 1985 at Republic National Bank of New York, then owned by the Safra family, and later worked at Safra Republic Holdings in Geneva and Banque Safra Luxenbourg SA.

Edmond Safra, a native of Lebanon, died at the age of 67 in a December 1999 fire in his Monaco home. His male nurse was sentenced in 2003 to 10 years in prison for setting the fire.

In 2000, HSBC Holdings Plc completed a $7.7 billion purchase of Republic. Edmond Safra initiated the deal the year he died.