Stern was born in
Frankfurt am Main to the prominent
Stern banking family. In 1833, he moved to
London and in 1844 was joined by his brother
Hermann. Together, they co-founded Stern Brothers, a financial institution based in London. and he was a director of the Imperial Bank. In 1869, King
Luís I of Portugal conferred the noble title of
visconde (
viscount) on him in recognition of the work of Stern's bank in floating Portuguese loans. ==Marriage and children==