Quarterlytics / Financial Services / Financial - Capital Markets / Virtu Financial

Virtu Financial

virt · NASDAQ Financial Services
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Ticker virt
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Financial Services
Industry Financial - Capital Markets
Employees 201-500
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FY2022 Annual Report · Virtu Financial
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VIRTU FINANCIAL

2022 Annual Report

VIRTU

HAS DEEP ROOTS

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A message from our CEO

How we earn every trade

Our numbers

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6 Corporate information

Virtu around the world

Our people-first culture

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As we look ahead, we remain focused 
on empowering and promoting 
the well-being of our employees, 
delivering exceptional performance to 
our customers, and creating value for 
our shareholders together in 2023 and 
beyond.

See endnotes at the end of this report.

Douglas A. Cifu
Co-Founder & CEO

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

Always a firm on the cutting edge 
technologically, Virtu has a long 
history and deep roots in the 

evolution of the financial markets we 
serve today.  Virtu traces its roots to the 
pits of the New York Mercantile Exchange 
in the 1980’s, where our Founder, Vincent 
Viola, began as a floor trader and would 
ultimately serve as Chairman.  We also 
can look back to Jersey City, NJ in the 
mid-1990’s when Knight Capital was 
founded to serve retail broker-dealers 
by creating a superior model which 
leverages competition to achieve efficient 
execution and order handling.  Finally, 
we can look back to the mid 1980’s when 
Investment Technology Group emerged 
as a pioneer in the brokerage industry, 
offering technology enabled routing and 
execution services to the institutional 
investing community.  Today, as one firm 
with one culture and one vision, Virtu 
stands tall and resilient, able to adapt, 
thrive and grow, while remaining focused 
on the clients and markets we serve 
by holding fast to our core principles 
of efficiency through technological 
innovation, scale, transparency and 
operational excellence. 

Above all, our firm is the sum of our 
people.  As of this writing, Virtu employs 
nearly 1,000 people globally.  We 
constantly seek to provide our global 
employees with a rewarding, fair, and 
inclusive workplace and continue to 
make meaningful strides in promoting 
and enhancing diversity, equity, and 
inclusion at all levels.  Our roots as a firm 
and our collaborative, flat and inclusive 
culture have allowed us to attract an 
incredible group of dedicated and 
talented individuals.  We have employees 
in 9 countries around the world and we 
transact on hundreds of trading venues 
across 50+ countries in multiple asset 
classes, serving more than 2,000 clients.  
Our broad and diverse talent pool provides 
flexibility and allows us to adapt and 
succeed across a range of environments 
and deliver excellent products, liquidity, 
and services to clients and the markets – 
I am astonished by our collective and 
individual accomplishments daily. 

Virtu is expanding into new markets 
and growing our presence in existing 
ones.  In 2022, our firm’s key organic 
growth initiatives continued to flourish, 
representing substantial return on our 
ongoing strategic investments of time 
and talent into new markets. For the full 
year of 2022, our organic growth initiatives, 
which includes options market making, 
ETF block and crypto market making, 
contributed an average of $614k per day of 
adjusted net trading income (ANTI) from 
essentially nothing just a few years ago.1  

This meaningful growth, on top of 
the revenues generated by our global 
and multi-asset class market making 
and execution services businesses, 
combined with our consistent and 
disciplined expense base, creates 
substantial free cash flows for our 
shareholders over many years.  Our free 
cash flow has enabled us to pay $0.96 
dividend every year since going public in 
2015 and repurchase nearly $1 billion of 
our stock since late 2020. 

On the market structure front, we 
continue our long history as vocal 
advocates for a thoughtful, data-
driven and “ground-up” approach to 
any changes, supporting policies and 
rules that can enhance transparency, 
fairness, and competition for investors, 
issuers, and market participants.  
Though our business is diversified across 
geographies and assets classes, we 
have taken a lead role in advocating for 
these principles in the current debate 
around potential changes to US equities 
market structure.  As this market 
and others evolve over time, whether 
from regulatory and policy changes, 
geopolitical events, or other market-
based forces, we remain confident in 
our ability to adapt, thrive and grow by 
leveraging our global experience and 
scale across numerous asset classes and 
products, along with our exceptional 
talent base, operational efficiency and 
penchant for technological innovation. 

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VIRTU FINANCIAL  2022 Annual Report

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HOW WE E ARN 
E VERY TR ADE

Where transparent trading solutions 
meet advanced technology.

Global Client Network.
Trusted relationships developed over 30+ years

Virtu is a leading provider of financial services and products 
that leverage cutting-edge technology to deliver liquidity 
to the global markets and innovative, transparent trading 
solutions to our clients.

Client Solutions

Global Market Structure Expertise

Highly Scalable Technology Platform

Unique Liquidity

Global Multi-Asset

Reach 

Diverse Client Base 

•  2,000+ clients
•  50+ countries
•  235+ venues

Institutional

• 
•  Retail 
•  RIAs
•  Asset Managers
•  ETF Issuers

Global Presence, 
Local Market Expertise 

Client-Focused 
Solutions 

•  Americas
•  EMEA 
•  APAC

•  Execution Services
•  Workflow Technology
•  Liquidity Sourcing
•  Trade Analytics, Reporting and Data 

Liquidity Pools and Execution Tools.
Efficient and transparent trading

Multiple Asset Classes

Liquidity Pools 

Market Leader Across Products 

•  Global Equities
•  ETFs
•  FICC
•  Options

•  Principal
•  Retail
• 

Institutional

•  vEQ Link Liquidity
•  OTC Securities
•  ATS/MTF/RFQ Platforms
•  Block Trading
•  ETFs
•  FX And Metals

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$2.4B

$3.00

revenue

normalized adjusted EPS1

$1.5B

adjusted net trading income1

12.8%

buyback % since program 
inception through 12/31/222

$859M

59%

adjusted EBITDA1

adjusted EBITDA margin1

See endnotes at the end of this report.

BY THE NUMBERS

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Knowing who we are

Virtu Around 
the World

Our global footprint helps clients 
extend their reach and links them with 
liquidity, trading access and support 
across geographies and asset classes.

25,000+

securities

60+

accessible global markets

235

venues

50+

countries

North America Austin • Boston • Chicago • New York City •  
Palm Beach • Short Hills • Toronto • Westchester

EMEA Dublin • London • Madrid • Paris

APAC Hong Kong • Singapore • Sydney

 
 
VIRTU FINANCIAL  2022 Annual Report

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OUR PEOPLE-FIRS T 
CULTURE

We seek to create an inclusive, 
equitable and supportive environment 
where our management and 
employees are committed to a diverse 
and transparent workplace.

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OUR PEOPLE-FIRS T 
CULTURE

At Virtu, we believe in building a culture 
that fosters inclusivity and growth. Through 
organic initiatives, we’ve created an 
environment where employees can thrive both 
personally and professionally. We’re dedicated 
to contributing to our local communities, 
cultivating a diverse workplace, and providing 
training programs for every employee’s 
professional development.  

“VirtuTogether” is more than just a slogan - 
it represents the solidarity of our culture and 
community, where everyone is encouraged to 
contribute to the greater good of our firm.

#VirtuTogether 
2022 highlights.

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Virtu’s Women’s Committee 
Virtu created a Women’s Committee, an organization 
that empowers all women at Virtu with high-visibility 
opportunities, mentorship and networking. The 
committee also facilitates training opportunities for 
leadership roles, enabling women to thrive at Virtu.

Fundraising for the General Dawkins Scholarship 
We are fortunate and proud to continue our 
partnership with the Children of Fallen Patriots 
Foundation. In 2022, Virtu held a company-wide 
fundraiser for the General Dawkins Scholarship, 
which provides college scholarships to military 
children who lost a parent in the line of duty.

Community Food Bank of New Jersey 
Virtu gathered volunteers to help out at the 
Community Food Bank of New Jersey, supporting its 
mission in feeding and distributing food to neighbors 
in need throughout the state.

Women’s Winternship Expansion 
Virtu hosted its fourth annual Women’s Winternship, 
a one-week program aimed at introducing 
undergraduate students to a career path in financial 
services. Previously US-focused, this early talent 
identification program has expanded to our Europe 
offices. Past Winterns have progressed to our summer 
program and have also converted to full-time hires, 
helping to reinforce our efforts for a gender diverse 
workplace at Virtu.

Diversifying our Recruiting Efforts 
In 2022, we strengthened our presence at Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities, and expanded our 
relationships with diverse student organizations to enrich 
our pipeline of talent.  

Riding for Autism Research 
Virtu officially set the record for the fastest 
tandem ride around the island of Singapore in our 
sponsorship of the Wall Street Rides FAR (For Autism 
Research) biking event. All proceeds directly support 
the Autism Science Foundation. 

Volunteering with The National Kidney Foundation 
Virtu employees in Singapore visited The National 
Kidney Foundation Dialysis Center to donate, package, 
and distribute groceries to patients.

 
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OUR PEOPLE-FIRS T 
CULTURE

#VirtuTogether 
2022 highlights.

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Virtu U: Machine Learning Monday 
Virtu Analytics began hosting a new monthly 
series for employees and clients, showcasing 
our latest experiments and exploration into the 
application of Machine Learning within Portfolio 
and Trading Analytics.

Markets Media Women in Finance 
Virtu celebrated 4 of its employees who received 
awards at the annual Markets Media Women in 
Finance ceremony. The recognized categories include 
Excellence in Legal and Compliance, Excellence 
in Trading Platforms, STEM Champion in Trading 
(Equities) and Rising Star in Trading (ETFs).

Generating Genius 
Virtu partnered with Generating Genius in London, 
matching employees with low-income university 
students in a 12-week mentorship program to combat 
the attainment gap of Black and disadvantaged 
students in STEM. Assisting with career advice for 
STEM professions, we had 7 mentees who graduated 
on March 31 and were considered for internships.

LGBTQ+ Pride Pins 
To honor Pride Month in June, Virtu added Pride Flag 
Pins and Transgender Flag Pins to our internal swag 
store for employees to show their support. These pins 
support LGBTQ+ small businesses and the proceeds go 
to local and national LGBTQ+ organizations.

New York Women in Data Science at Virtu (WiDS) 
In March, Virtu hosted its second annual virtual 
conference for women to share their data science 
skills and experiences. This year’s program featured 
guest speakers from Nyquist Data, Moderna, Fidelity 
International and others. Participation was open to 
all interested in data science and attracted over 650 
attendees within the financial services industry.

Virtu’s Inaugural Coursera Program 
In the fall of 2022, Virtu launched various Coursera 
training programs to support employees’ professional 
development. The inaugural semester hosted 38 
participants and featured 3 employee-taught courses 
for Python and SQL.

Black History Month Fireside Chat 
To celebrate Black History Month and Women’s 
History Month, new Virtuian and NBA Hall of Famer, 
Bernard King, and multi-Basketball Hall of Famer 
inductee and coach, Nancy Lieberman, co-hosted 
a fireside chat discussing how diversity, equity, 
inclusion and acceptance are crucial elements to 
finding success in everyday life.

Virtu’s Give Back Platform 
In 2022, Virtu launched a digital global charity 
platform that allows employees to seamlessly donate 
to different charities around the world. Through the 
tool, employees can source, organize and participate 
in local volunteer events. 

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DISCL AIMER

END NOTES

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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements 

1 Normalized Adjusted EPS, Adjusted Net Trading Income, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are 

This report may contain “forward-looking statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the 

non-GAAP financial measures. Please refer to Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial 

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements regarding Virtu Financial, Inc.’s (“Virtu’s”, the 

Condition and Results of Operations in our 2022 Form 10-K for a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures 

“Company’s” or “our”) business that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking 

and a reconciliation to the GAAP results for the year ended December 31, 2022. 

2 Shares repurchased calculated on a settlement date basis.

statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily 

be accurate indications of the times at, or by which, such performance or results will be achieved. The 

Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in 

assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, and if the Company does 

update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the Company will make 

additional updates with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking 

statements are based on information available at the time and/or management’s good faith belief with 

respect to future events, and is subject to risks and uncertainties, some or all of which are not predictable or 

within Virtu’s control, that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed 

in the statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: risks relating to the COVID-19 

pandemic, including the possible effects of the economic conditions worldwide resulting from the COVID-19 

pandemic and governmental and other responses thereto; fluctuations in trading volume and volatilities in the 

markets in which we operate; the ability of our trading counterparties and various clearing houses to perform 

their obligations to us; the performance and reliability of our customized trading platform; the risk of material 

trading losses from our market making activities; swings in valuations in securities or other instruments in 

which we hold positions; increasing competition and consolidation in our industry; the risk that cash flow 

from our operations and other available sources of liquidity will not be sufficient to fund our various ongoing 

obligations, including operating expenses, short term funding requirements, margin requirements, capital 

expenditures, debt service and dividend payments; regulatory and legal uncertainties and potential changes 

associated with our industry, particularly in light of increased attention from media, regulators and lawmakers 

to market structure and related issues including but not limited to the retail trading environment, wholesale 

market making and off exchange trading more generally and payment for order flow arrangements; potential 

adverse results from legal or regulatory proceedings; our ability to remain technologically competitive 

and to ensure that the technology we utilize is not vulnerable to security risks, hacking and cyber-attacks; 

risks associated with third party software and technology infrastructure. For a discussion of the risks and 

uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements, 

see Virtu’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to Virtu’s Annual Report on 

Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC.

GAAP and Non-GAAP Results 

This report includes or may include certain non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EPS, Normalized 

Adjusted EPS, Adjusted Net Trading Income, Normalized Adjusted Net Income, Normalized Adjusted Pre-Tax 

Income, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, EBITDA Margin, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Trading Capital, Invested Capital, 

Adjusted Operating Expense and Adjusted Compensation Expense. Non-GAAP financial measures should 

be considered only as supplemental to, and not as superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance 

with GAAP. Other companies may use similarly titled non‐GAAP financial measures that are calculated 

differently from the way we calculate such measures. Accordingly, our non‐GAAP financial measures may 

not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. We caution investors not to place undue 

reliance on such non‐GAAP measures, but instead to consider them with the most directly comparable 

GAAP measure. Non‐GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be 

considered in isolation, or as a substitute for our results as reported under GAAP. A reconciliation of non‐GAAP 

measures to the most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP is included 

in Virtu Financial’s Fourth Quarter 2022 Earnings Supplement, https://ir.virtu.com/financials-and-filings/ 

quarterly-results/default.aspx.

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Corporate Information

Annual Meeting 
The Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Virtu Financial, 
Inc. will be held virtually on  
June 13, 2023, at 9:00 AM ET

Transfer Agent and Registrar 
American Stock Transfer Trust Company, LLC (AST)

Stock 
Since the Company’s initial public offering on April 
16, 2015, shares of Virtu have been quoted on the 
NASDAQ, and trade under the symbol “VIRT”.

Independent Registered 
Accounting Firm 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Contact  
1633 Broadway 
41st Floor 
New York, NY 10019 
+1.646.682.6000

—

investor_relations@virtu.com | media@virtu.com

www.virtu.com 

© 2023 VIRTU Financial Inc.

 
www.virtu.com 
www.virtu.com