Virtu Financial prepares for market float

Electronic trading firm puts IPO value at $100 million

Trader Jarret Johnson of Virtu Financial works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Photograph: Reuters/Chip East

Virtu Financial, the global electronic trading firm that lost money on only one day in the past five years, is preparing to sell shares through an initial public offering, according to a regulatory filing.

Virtu put the value of the share sale at $100 million (€72.1 million) while saying the figure was used only to calculate registration fees and may change.

The company's current owners, including chief executive Vincent Viola and private-equity firm Silver Lake Management, don't plan to sell shares, according to the filing.

Virtu, whose European headquarters are in Dublin, saw overall revenue grow 8 per cent to more than $660 million last year, according to its filing. – (Bloomberg)