Vincent Viola

Vincent "Vinnie" Viola
Born	1956 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, businessman
Years active	1982–present
Known for	Founder and chairman of Virtu Financial; owner of Florida Panthers; co-owner of Always Dreaming

Vincent "Vinnie" Viola (born 1956) is an American billionaire entrepreneur and former U.S. Army serviceman. He was briefly nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as United States Secretary of the Army, though he later withdrew his candidacy.

In 1987, he established Pioneer Futures, which became one of the fifty leading futures commission merchants across the United States. The next year, he founded The Independent Bank Group, a regional Texas bank publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol IBTX. Viola also co-founded two electronic trading companies—EWT, LLC and Madison Tyler, LLC—based in Beverly Hills that utilized electronic trading strategies to generate profits. In 2008, he launched Virtu Financial, an electronic market-making firm that debuted on NASDAQ (VIRT) in April 2015.

Leah McGrath Goodman’s 2011 publication, The Asylum: The Renegades Who Hijacked the World's Oil Market, depicts Viola as a shrewd and determined businessman with strong leadership skills and a keen eye for opportunity.

By December 2016, Viola’s estimated net worth stood at $1.78 billion.

Nomination for Secretary of the Army

On December 19, 2016, the then President-elect Donald Trump revealed his plan to nominate Viola for the position of Secretary of the Army. This decision reportedly caused concern for Secretary of Defense General Jim Mattis, who had not been briefed prior to the announcement and expressed reservations regarding possible trading activities under investigation.

Viola withdrew his nomination on February 3, 2017, citing challenges in meeting Pentagon rules related to personal business holdings. It was reported that he attempted to resolve these conflicts by transferring ownership of the Florida Panthers to family members and assigning operational responsibilities to Vice Chairman Douglas Cifu.

Philanthropy

In response to the September 11 attacks, Viola co-established and served as the primary benefactor of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. He also founded Rowan Technology Solutions, a firm dedicated to enhancing cadet education in military history, leadership, and science. Furthermore, Viola funded the Avery Cardinal Dulles Chair in Catholic Theology at Fordham University.

Personal life

Viola and his wife Teresa have three grown sons and live in New York City. Their Upper East Side townhouse was placed on the market in 2013 with an asking price of $114 million. In January 2021, they sold their Brooklyn Heights townhouse for $25.5 million, establishing a new record for that borough.

Both spouses participate in horse racing as owners of St. Elias Stable and Teresa Viola Racing, jointly owning Kentucky Derby champion Always Dreaming.

In 2009, Viola was inducted into the FIA Futures Hall of Fame.