Juan Carlos Escotet Rodríguez (born 1959) is a Spanish-Venezuelan billionaire banker and the founder of Banesco, the largest private financial institution in Venezuela. He is also CEO and shareholder (80 %) of Spanish bank Abanca. As of March 2022, his reported net worth is estimated at US$3.5 billion.^[1]

Escotet was born in Madrid in 1959^[2] as one of eight immigrant children in Spain. He began his work life performing errands for Banco Union in Venezuela in 1976 during which he also attended night school.^[3]

He later earned a master's degree in professional management science from the University of Miami School of Business at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.^[1][2]

After earning his MBA, Escotet worked as an executive for Sociedad Financiera Latinoamericana and then creating his own financial group.^[3] In the 1990s, Escotet bought out Venezuelan financial institutions that were then going through a financial and banking crisis. He also set up his own establishment in Panama.^[3] Escotet founded Banesco, which is now the largest private financial institution in Venezuela. In 2000, Banco Union was absorbed into Banesco in a merger agreement.^[3][1] He owns other branches in Miami, Panama, Colombia, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.^[3]

In 2015, Escotet acquired Spain-based NCG Banco, which was later renamed Abanca.^[4]