SEC v. Virtu Americas LLC; and Virtu Financial, Inc., No. LR-26427, Southern District of New York (Dec. 3, 2025) — Press Release
raw: Virtu Financial, Inc.; Virtu Americas LLC
Virtu Financial, Inc.; Virtu Americas LLC, No. 1:23-cv-08072 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 3, 2025)
Virtu Americas LLC entered a final consent judgment to resolve SEC allegations of failing to prevent proprietary traders from accessing material nonpublic customer order information.
Virtu Americas LLC agreed to a $2.5 million civil monetary penalty to settle SEC charges regarding inadequate information barriers. The firm was charged with failing to prevent proprietary traders from accessing sensitive customer order data between January 2018 and April 2019. The final judgment includes a permanent injunction against violating Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The SEC obtained a final consent judgment against broker-dealer Virtu Americas LLC for failing to maintain policies to prevent the misuse of material nonpublic information. Between January 2018 and April 2019, the firm's proprietary traders could access sensitive customer order data, such as names, prices, and volumes, within its primary and backup databases. To resolve the matter, Virtu Americas consented to a $2.5 million civil penalty and a permanent injunction under Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The settlement was reached without the firm admitting or denying the allegations. Additionally, the SEC agreed to dismiss all other claims against Virtu Americas and its parent company, Virtu Financial, Inc., with prejudice. The litigation was overseen by the SEC's Market Abuse Unit and led by attorneys Damon Taaffe and Zachary Avallone.
Exhibits & Attached Documents (2)
Extracted insights
- $2.50M $2.5 million $1M–$10M
- person alexandra m. arango
- person damon taaffe
- person final consent judgment
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- organization Securities and Exchange Commission
- company virtu americas llc
- company virtu financial inc.
- Securities And Exchange Commission obtains Final Consent Judgment
- Virtu Americas Llc consented to Entry Of Judgment
- Securities And Exchange Commission alleged Failure To Establish Policies
- Virtu Americas Llc operated Proprietary Trading Business
- Virtu Americas Llc failed to Establish Policies And Procedures
- Virtu Americas Llc pay $2.5 Million Civil Monetary Penalty
- Damon Taaffe led Litigation
- Alexandra M. Arango conducted Investigation
- Virtu Financial Inc. dismissed All Other Claims
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSIONCorrected Litigation Release No. 26427 / December 3, 2025Securities and Exchange Commission v. Virtu Financial Inc. et al, No. 1:23-cv-08072 (S.D.N.Y. filed Sept. 12, 2023)SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgment as to Virtu Broker-Dealer Regarding Alleged Failure to Establish, Maintain, and Enforce Policies and Procedures Reasonably Designed to Prevent Misuse of Its Customers’ Material Nonpublic InformationOn December 2, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a final consent judgment in the SEC’s civil enforcement action against broker-dealer Virtu Americas LLC (“Virtu Americas”). Virtu Americas consented to entry of the judgment without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations.The SEC’s complaint, filed on September 12, 2023 (and amended January 12, 2024), alleged that Virtu Americas operated both a proprietary trading business, in which it bought and sold securities in its own account and for its benefit, as well as a trade execution business for its large institutional customers, whereby it executed customer orders. The complaint alleged that from at least January 2018 through April 2019, Virtu Americas failed to establish, maintain, and enforce policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that its proprietary traders could not access material nonpublic information of Virtu Americas’ customer orders – including, among other things, the customer name, the security name, the side (buy or sell), and the execution price and volume – maintained in a primary database for daily business operations and a backup database. Without admitting or denying the Commission’s allegations against it, Virtu Americas consented to the entry of a final judgment that permanently enjoins it from violating Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and orders it to pay a civil monetary penalty of $2.5 million. Pursuant to the terms of the settlement, the Commission agreed to the dismissal with prejudice of all other claims and relief sought against Virtu Americas and of all claims and relief sought against its parent, Virtu Financial, Inc.The litigation was led by Damon Taaffe and Zachary Avallone under the supervision of James Carlson. The investigation was conducted by Alexandra M. Arango and David A. Becker of the Home Office and David Bennett and Paul Kim of the Market Abuse Unit.
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSIONCorrected Litigation Release No. 26427 / December 3, 2025Securities and Exchange Commission v. Virtu Financial Inc. et al, No. 1:23-cv-08072 (S.D.N.Y. filed Sept. 12, 2023)SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgment as to Virtu Broker-Dealer Regarding Alleged Failure to Establish, Maintain, and Enforce Policies and Procedures Reasonably Designed to Prevent Misuse of Its Customers’ Material Nonpublic InformationOn December 2, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a final consent judgment in the SEC’s civil enforcement action against broker-dealer Virtu Americas LLC (“Virtu Americas”). Virtu Americas consented to entry of the judgment without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations.The SEC’s complaint, filed on September 12, 2023 (and amended January 12, 2024), alleged that Virtu Americas operated both a proprietary trading business, in which it bought and sold securities in its own account and for its benefit, as well as a trade execution business for its large institutional customers, whereby it executed customer orders. The complaint alleged that from at least January 2018 through April 2019, Virtu Americas failed to establish, maintain, and enforce policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that its proprietary traders could not access material nonpublic information of Virtu Americas’ customer orders – including, among other things, the customer name, the security name, the side (buy or sell), and the execution price and volume – maintained in a primary database for daily business operations and a backup database. Without admitting or denying the Commission’s allegations against it, Virtu Americas consented to the entry of a final judgment that permanently enjoins it from violating Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and orders it to pay a civil monetary penalty of $2.5 million. Pursuant to the terms of the settlement, the Commission agreed to the dismissal with prejudice of all other claims and relief sought against Virtu Americas and of all claims and relief sought against its parent, Virtu Financial, Inc.The litigation was led by Damon Taaffe and Zachary Avallone under the supervision of James Carlson. The investigation was conducted by Alexandra M. Arango and David A. Becker of the Home Office and David Bennett and Paul Kim of the Market Abuse Unit.