Eike Fuhrken Batista da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈajk(i) ˈfuʁkẽj baˈtʃistɐ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ]; born 3 November 1956) is a Brazilian-German serial entrepreneur who made and lost a multi-billion dollar fortune in mining and oil and gas industries.

These five companies were: OGX[4] (oil and gas), MPX[5] (energy), LLX[6] (logistics), MMX[7] (mining), and OSX[8] (offshore services and equipment).

[14][15] Batista is currently under house arrest[16] after being sentenced to 30 years in prison for several offences, including bribing disgraced Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral Filho, in order to secure public contracts.

[18][19][20][21] His mother, Jutta Fuhrken, was born in Germany and, from her, Batista says he learned self-esteem and discipline, attributes he considers crucial to his formation as an entrepreneur.

At age 29, he became CEO of TVX Gold, a company listed on the Montreal Stock Exchange, initiating his relationship with global capital markets.

[29] In 2011, Batista released the book The Heart of the Matter (O X da Questão) which recounts his trajectory in the business world and offers tips on entrepreneurialism.

[32] The magazine focused on people “whose comments move markets; whose deals set the value of companies or securities; whose ideas and policies shape corporations, governments and economies”.

[33] The newspaper Folha de São Paulo described Batista as a "self-made man",[34] an entrepreneur with a fortune acquired primarily through his own efforts, not inheritance.

[36] From 2004 to 2010, Batista[37] created and put into operation five companies: MMX (mining), MPX (energy), OGX (petroleum), LLX (logistics) and OSX (offshore industry).

As of 2013, due to falling commodity prices, none of his enterprises were profitable despite substantial infusions of cash by the Brazilian government, and Batista was engaged in desperate efforts to shed assets and meet the demands of creditors.

[38] The EBX Group produces iron ore in Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul and has put the first commercial-scale solar power plant into operation[39] in Brazil.

These important energy and infrastructure projects are being executed in parallel to OGX's exploratory campaigns[42] in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, São Paulo and Parnaíba, Maranhão basins, which have resulted in oil and gas discoveries.

In addition to the infrastructure and natural resources sectors, Batista's EBX Group also invests in real estate (REX),[44] entertainment (IMX),[45] technology (SIX) and catering (NRX).

[36] LLX was the logistics company of the EBX Group, responsible for building the Açu Superport,[50] in the state of Rio de Janeiro, projected to be the largest port-industrial complex in Latin America.

Shipbuilding firm OSX, part of the EBX Group, Brasil made the filing in a Rio de Janeiro in November 2013 court less than two weeks after its sister oil company, OGX, also declared bankruptcy.

[14] Many business and finance-related media, such as Forbes magazine and Businessweek, are still in the process of concluding whether Eike Batista holds the record for having been the fastest destroyer of wealth.

[citation needed] Eike Batista has written in Brazilian newspapers about the loss of his fortune and fall from billionairedom, stated that he regrets listing his companies in the stock markets, and that, in retrospect, a private equity model of financing his ventures would have been better.

[54] Major companies founded by Batista: EBX, OGX, MPX, MMX, LLX, OSX, REX, AUX, NRX Newrest, IMX, Gloria Palace, Marina da Glória, MDX, BEAUX, MR.LAM, PINK FLEET, and RJX.

In January 2017, Brazilian authorities issued a detention order for Batista and eight other individuals as part of Operation Car Wash (Portuguese: Operação Lava Jato), a high-profile $100 million money laundering investigation.