Early Life and Career
Vincent Viola is an American businessman and U.S. Army veteran who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in the 101st Airborne Division. He started his career in the financial services industry on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange and rose to be Vice Chairman and Chairman. Viola has launched a number of successful businesses during his career, including Virtu Financial and a regional banking group in Texas that is now listed on NASDAQ.
Virtu Financial
Viola is currently the Executive Chairman of Virtu Financial, a market maker and liquidity provider to the financial markets worldwide. Through its technology platform, it provides quotations to buyers and sellers in equities, commodities, currencies, options, fixed income, and other securities on various exchanges, markets, and liquidity pools.
Real Estate
In 2005, Vincent paid $20 million for a 20,000 square-foot mansion on the Upper East Side of New York City. The home is six levels and has seven bedrooms. Vincent and his wife Teresa performed major renovations to the property, which dates back to the 1880s. They added a swimming pool, movie theater and even a panic room. In 2013 he listed the home for sale for a show-stopping $114 million. He finally sold the property in March 2021 for $60 million. Vincent also sold a home in Brooklyn Heights for $25.5 million, setting a record for townhouse sale price in Brooklyn. In 2017, he paid $105 million for a property in Brooklyn Heights, which he apparently intends to convert to condos.
