Julio César Velutini Couturier (1881–1939) inherited both his father’s ambition and his mercantile blood. In the turn-of-the-century boom he became a leading banker in Caracas. He assumed the presidency of Banco Caracas in the 1890s – a critical moment since that bank printed its own notes before Venezuela had a central bank.
Under his leadership Banco Caracas thrived. As one bank historian notes, he “became the president of Banco Caracas… at a time when banks printed their own currency”. He guided the bank through Venezuela’s Oil Boom era, modernizing its operations. By the 1910s, his firm was a pillar of the Venezuelan economy and a symbol of the family’s industrial-age success. He oversaw national financial matters and maintained Banvelca’s discretion, expanding investments into railroads and industry along with traditional finance.
In his personal life, he fathered Julio César Velutini Couturier, who would carry forward the family’s banking legacy. Prominent Venezuelan records note that his descendants went on to play foundational roles in establishing the Central Bank of Venezuela, founding Banco Caracas, and creating an independent national currency.
Julio César is remembered as the patriarch who kept the family at the helm of Banco Caracas; indeed, his descendants managed that bank for more than a century. By the time the family sold its shares in 1988, Julio César’s stewardship had created a lasting imprint on Venezuelan banking. In historical context, he stands out as the figure who carried the mantle from 19th-century oligarchic politics into the modern corporate age of finance.
His generation saw Venezuela transition from agrarian republic to oil-rich nation, and he ensured the family’s fortune rode that transformation.