STUDY RECORD · last re-checked 2026-09
Virtu Financial — institutional liquidity provider
Virtu Financial, Inc. operates as a multi-asset liquidity provider and execution services firm, licensed in multiple jurisdictions including the U.S., UK, and Asia-Pacific. The firm claims to provide liquidity in over 25,000 securities across 235 venues, a self-measured assertion. While it serves institutional clients and brokers, the absence of a founding date may suggest a need for further context regarding its operational history.
Virtu Financial, Inc. (US broker-dealer: Virtu Americas LLC) · New York, USA · evidence score 79/100
Licence, read on the register
last checked September 2026
| Regulator | Licence number | Jurisdiction | Tier | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC/FINRA | CRD 149823 (SEC 8-68193) | USA | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| Central Bank of Ireland | not verified | Ireland | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| Central Bank of Ireland | not verified | Ireland | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| FCA | 987714 | UK | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| FCA | 572389 | UK | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| SFC (HK) | AHD810 | Hong Kong | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| MAS (Singapore) | CMS 100138-1 | Singapore | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| ASIC | 219582 | Australia | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| CIRO (Canada) | not verified | Canada | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
Tier classification follows the same scale as the retail register: tier-2 means real supervision and client-money segregation, without an investor compensation scheme — never misread it as tier-1 protection.
What this record teaches
Reading skills, each anchored to something the firm actually published.
- 01 — Teaching pointVirtu Financial operates as a tier 1 market maker across multiple jurisdictions.
- 02 — Teaching pointThe firm serves institutional clients and brokers, providing liquidity in various asset classes.
- 03 — Teaching pointVirtu's liquidity spans over 25,000 securities at more than 235 venues globally.
Claims ledger
Claims specific enough to be falsified — and the ones that remain the venue's own measurement.
Testable claims
- Own disclosures page: in the U.S. Virtu Americas LLC, member FINRA and SIPC; in Europe Virtu Europe Trading Limited (Ireland No. 283940) and Virtu Financial Ireland Limited (Ireland No. 471719), both authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland
- VETL London branch is an FCA-authorised UK establishment (FRN 987714, establishment BR017810); Virtu ITG UK Limited is FCA-authorised (FRN 572389)
- Asia-Pacific entities per disclosures page: Virtu ITG Hong Kong (SFC AHD810), Virtu ITG Singapore (CMS 100138-1), Virtu ITG Australia (AFS 219582); Virtu Canada Corp is a CIRO/CIPF-member investment dealer
- Firm states liquidity in over 25,000 securities at over 235 venues (about page)
Claims we cannot verify from outside
- 'Liquidity in over 25,000 securities at over 235 venues' is the firm's own measurement
- Market-quality claims (decreasing volatility, improving pricing/execution quality) are the firm's own characterisations
Perimeter and coverage
| Asset classes | Venues | Connectivity | Clients accepted | Explicitly refused |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equities, ETFs, Options, FICC (fixed income, currencies, commodities), Crypto-assets (via Ireland entity) | none published | none published | Institutional clients and brokers (direct-to-client liquidity in global equities, ETFs and FICC) | none published |
A firm that publishes its own negative space — who it refuses, where it is not licensed — is materially easier to diligence than one that doesn't. The refusal list is treated here as a disclosure, not a defect.
Self-check
Answer these before you consider the record read. If you cannot, re-read the licence and the claims ledger — the answers are all in what the firm published.
- What types of clients does Virtu Financial primarily serve?
- How many securities does Virtu Financial provide liquidity for?