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Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees | Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees Legal and Regulatory Proceedings In the ordinary course of business, the nature of the Company’s business subjects it to claims, lawsuits, regulatory examinations or investigations and other proceedings, any of which could result in the imposition of fines, penalties or other sanctions against the Company. The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to several of these matters at the present time. As previously disclosed, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission undertook an investigation of aspects of the Company’s internal information access barriers. The Company cooperated with this civil investigation and engaged in settlement discussions but has been unable to reach a settlement. In September 2023, the SEC filed an action against the Company alleging violations of federal securities laws with respect to the Company’s information barriers policies and procedures for a specified time period in and around January 2018 to April 2019 and related statements made by the Company during such period. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses and is defending itself vigorously. Specifically, the Company is asserting, among other defenses, that it maintained reasonable policies, procedures and controls to protect data during the period consistent with applicable law, that related statements made to clients and investors were true and accurate, and that the statute of limitations has expired with respect to certain claims. In matters related to the SEC investigation noted above, the Company and certain of its current and former executive officers were named as defendants on May 19, 2023 in Hiebert v. Virtu Financial, Inc., No. 23-cv-03770 and on October 31, 2023 in City of Birmingham Retirement and Relief System v. Virtu Financial, Inc., No. 23-cv-08123. The complaints were each filed by purported stockholders in the Eastern District of New York on behalf of a putative class and assert that the Company made materially false and misleading statements and omissions in its public filings in violation of federal securities laws. The complaints were subsequently consolidated and recaptioned in re Virtu Financial, Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 23-cv-03770. The Company also has received requests for information related to the SEC investigation pursuant to Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law from counsel for purported stockholders. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses against pending or contemplated claims that its public disclosures were inadequate or misleading. The Company maintains that such disclosures were true and accurate and compliant with applicable law and will defend itself vigorously. On November 30, 2020, the Company was named as a defendant in In re United States Oil Fund, LP Securities Litigation, No. 20-cv-4740. The consolidated amended complaint was filed in federal district court in New York on behalf of a putative class, and asserts claims against the Company and numerous other financial institutions under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with trading in United States Oil Fund, LP, a crude oil ETF. The complaint also names the ETF, its sponsor, and related individuals as defendants. The complaint did not specify the amount of alleged damages. Defendants moved to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint on January 29, 2021; the motion is fully briefed and pending before the court. The Company believes that the claims are without merit and is defending itself vigorously. On March 7, 2022, the Company was named as a defendant in Iron Workers Local No. 55 Pension Fund v. Virtu Financial, Inc., No. 2022-0211-PAF pending in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. The complaint, filed by a purported stockholder, seeks to compel the inspection of certain Company books and records pursuant to Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. The complaint alleges that the stockholder seeks Company information to investigate (a) whether wrongdoing or mismanagement occurred in connection with distributions made to the partners of Virtu Financial pursuant to the Company’s Up-C corporate structure; (b) the independence and disinterestedness of the Company’s directors and/or officers and whether the directors breached their fiduciary duties; and (c) potential damages relating thereto. The Company has made substantial productions of documents and other information in response to plaintiff's requests. Though no substantive claim has been brought, the Company believes that any potential allegations of wrongdoing are without merit and is defending itself vigorously. On October 17, 2022, the Company’s subsidiary, along with several other parties, was named as a defendant in Mallinckrodt PLC, et al. (Reorganized Debtors); Opioid Master Disbursement Trust II v. Argos Capital Appreciation Master Fund LP et al No. 20-12522. The complaint alleges that Mallinckrodt PLC engaged in a share repurchase program from 2015 through 2018 pursuant to which it repurchased its own shares in various open market transactions, a period during which it was allegedly insolvent. The plaintiff is seeking to unwind the transactions consummated under the program, alleging such transactions constituted fraudulent transfers by the debtor. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses against any unwinding of transactions, which it has asserted, and will continue to defend itself vigorously. On December 1, 2022, the Company’s subsidiary, along with several other parties, was named as a defendant in Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. v. Canaccord Genuity LLC, et al No. 1:22-cv-10185. The initial complaint alleged that defendants engaged in market manipulation in the plaintiff’s stock during a period from 2018 to 2022. A first amended complaint was filed on April 10, 2023, bringing substantially the same allegations as the initial complaint. The first amended complaint was dismissed with leave to amend on February 14, 2024. Plaintiff filed a second amended complaint on March 18, 2024. Neither the operative complaint nor prior iterations specify the amount of alleged damages. The Company believes that the claims are without merit and is defending itself vigorously. Given the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of litigation and regulatory matters, particularly in regulatory examinations or investigations or other proceedings in which substantial or indeterminate judgments, settlements, disgorgements, restitution, penalties, injunctions, damages or fines are sought, or where such matters are in the early stages, the Company cannot estimate losses or ranges of losses for such matters where there is only a reasonable possibility that a loss may be incurred, and utilizes its judgment in accordance with applicable accounting standards in booking any associated estimated liability. It is not presently possible to determine the ultimate exposure to these matters and it is possible that the resolution of the outstanding matters will significantly exceed any estimated liabilities accrued by the Company. In addition, there are numerous factors that result in a greater degree of complexity in class-action lawsuits as compared to other types of litigation. There can be no assurance that these various legal proceedings will not significantly exceed any estimated liability accrued by the Company or have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations in any future period, and a material judgment, fine or sanction could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. However, it is the opinion of management, after consultation with legal counsel that, based on information currently available, the ultimate outcome of these matters will not have a material adverse impact on the business, financial condition or operating results of the Company, although they might be material to the operating results for any particular reporting period. The Company carries directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage and other insurance coverage for potential claims, including securities actions, against the Company and its respective directors and officers. Other Legal and Regulatory Matters The Company owns subsidiaries including regulated entities that are subject to extensive oversight under federal, state and applicable international laws as well as self-regulatory organization (“SRO”) rules. Changes in market structure and the need to remain competitive require constant changes to the Company's systems, order routing and order handling procedures. The Company makes these changes while continuously endeavoring to comply with many complex laws and rules. Compliance, surveillance and trading issues common in the securities industry are monitored by, reported to, and/or reviewed in the ordinary course of business by the Company's regulators in the U.S. and abroad. As a major order flow execution destination, the Company is named from time to time in, or is asked to respond to a number of regulatory matters brought by U.S. regulators, foreign regulators, SROs, as well as actions brought by private plaintiffs, which arise from its business activities. There has recently been an increased focus by regulators on Anti-Money Laundering and sanctions compliance by broker-dealers and similar entities, as well as an enhanced interest on suspicious activity reporting and transactions involving microcap and low-priced securities. In addition, there has been increased regulatory, congressional and media scrutiny of U.S. equities market structure, the retail trading environment in the U.S., wholesale market making and the relationships between retail broker-dealers and market making firms including, but not limited to, payment for order flow arrangements, other remuneration arrangements such as profit-sharing relationships and exchange fee and rebate structures, alternative trading systems and off-exchange trading more generally, high frequency trading, short selling, market fragmentation, colocation, and access to market data feeds. Specifically, in 2022 the SEC proposed several rule changes focused on equity market structure reform. These proposals include, but are not limited to, (i) Proposed Rule 615 of Regulation NMS, which proposes to dramatically change U.S. equities market structure, the routing, handling and potentially the amount, character and cost of retail order flow, (ii) Regulation Best Execution, which would impose best execution requirements on broker-dealers which would be distinct from, but overlapping with, FINRA’s existing best execution rule (Rule 5310), (iii) proposed rule amendments to minimum pricing increments under Rule 612 or Regulation NMS, access fee caps under Rule 610 of Regulation NMS, acceleration of the implementation of certain Market Data Infrastructure Rules, and amendment to the odd-lot information definition adopted under the MDI rules (collectively referred to as the “tick size, access fees and infostructure rule proposals”), and (iv) amendments to Rule 605 of Regulation NMS, along with a series of amendments to the definition of Exchange and Alternative Trading Systems (ATS), which would expand the scope of exchange and ATS registration and compliance requirements. Further, in 2023, the SEC proposed amendments to expand and update Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity (SCI) and to restrict volume based tiered pricing by equity exchanges in certain cases, approved an amendment to adopt a revised funding model for the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT), and has indicated that additional rule proposals may be forthcoming. Additionally, rules to amend the definitions of “dealer” and “government securities dealer” within the Exchange Act were recently adopted, and are expected to broaden the scope of these registrant categories. These pending or potential rule changes, to the extent adopted, could adversely affect the Company’s business or the Company’s industry. As indicated above, from time to time, the Company is the subject of requests for information and documents from the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), state attorneys general, and other regulators and governmental authorities. It is the Company's practice to cooperate and comply with the requests for information and documents. Additional information regarding legal and regulatory risks is described within the “Risk Factors” section under the sub header of “Legal and Regulatory Risks” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. As indicated above, the Company is currently the subject of various regulatory reviews and investigations by state, federal and foreign regulators and SROs, including the SEC and FINRA. In some instances, these matters may result in a disciplinary action and/or a civil or administrative action. Representations and Warranties; Indemnification Arrangements In the normal course of its operations, the Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties in addition to indemnification obligations, including indemnification obligations in connection with the Acquisition of KCG and the ITG Acquisition. The Company's maximum exposure under these arrangements is currently unknown, as any such exposure could relate to claims not yet brought or events which have not yet occurred. Consistent with standard business practices in the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties and general indemnifications. The Company has also provided general indemnifications to its managers, officers, directors, employees, and agents against expenses, legal fees, judgments, fines, settlements, and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred by such persons under certain circumstances as more fully disclosed in its operating agreement. The overall maximum amount of the obligations (if any) cannot reasonably be estimated as it will depend on the facts and circumstances that give rise to any future claims.

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