In almost all cases, the legal entity has now been verified, so the LEI provides accurate and up-to-date identity information about the organization. There are a number of LEI issuers around the world that issue and store identifiers and act as primary interfaces to the global repository, usually these are financial exchanges or financial data providers. These are accredited by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) for LEI issuance. Publicly available LEI data includes information such as the name of the legal entity, jurisdiction, registrar, LEI registration date, and legal entity status. These are all level 1 data that answer the question « Who`s who? » Level 2 data provide information on parental relationships in business structures and describe parent companies and subsidiaries. Level 2 data is intended to answer the question « Who owns whom? » In addition, data on the initial registration date, last update and renewal date of the LEI code, as well as the registration status and management of the LOU, can also be found in the LEI reference data. The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-digit alphanumeric code based on ISO 17442 developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It connects to important reference information that allows clear and unambiguous identification of legal entities involved in financial transactions. Each LEI contains information about a company`s ownership structure, answering the questions « who is who » and « who owns whom ». Simply put, the publicly available LEI database can be considered a global directory, which greatly increases transparency in the global marketplace.

The legal entity identifier is the international standard ISO 17442. LEIs are identification codes that allow consistent and accurate identification of all legal entities involved in financial transactions, including non-financial institutions. They make it possible to accurately identify a legal party to a financial transaction. It is linked to a record of critical information about the transaction unit, which can also include information about the final ownership of the entity. If your company does not wish to apply for an LEI itself, you can ask another company to do so on your behalf, but you must inform the LOU that the company has granted such authorization. The LEI Registry proposes the renewal of LEIs for a period of 1, 3 or 5 years. Regardless of the period, you will receive a notification from LEI Register one month before the deadline. In the event of a multi-year extension of the entity identifier, the LEI Registry is responsible for verifying your data prior to renewal and renewing your LEI number annually. Our goal is to keep your data up to date.

The other part of the baseline, the « level 2 » data, answers the question « Who owns whom? » Where appropriate, it allows the identification of the direct and ultimate parent companies of a legal entity. The private sector has made several attempts over the past 20 years to establish a global legal entity identification system, but it is not in a position to achieve the coordination necessary to implement a single global solution. In the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis, the leaders of the world`s largest economies, through the G-20 and the Financial Stability Board (FSB), agreed to develop a coordinated solution to overcome these challenges. These efforts resulted in a public interest initiative that is now the Global LEI System. The issuance of LEIs is regulated by GLEIF. GLEIF itself does not issue LEIs. LEIs are issued and managed by GLEIF-accredited Local Operating Units (LOUs). LOUs serve as a gateway for legal entities wishing to obtain an LEI number. A list of accredited LOUs can be found here.

The benefits generated by the Global LEI Index for the wider business community increase with the rate of LEI adoption. Therefore, in order to maximize the benefits of identifying companies in the capital markets and beyond, companies are encouraged to participate in the process and obtain their own LEI. Getting an LEI is easy. Registrants simply contact their preferred trading partner from the list of LEI issuing organizations available on the GLEIF website. Each entity may receive only one LEI, and this identifier must be used for all LEI reports in each jurisdiction where the LEI is required. Where possible, the entity`s data shall be validated from the relevant official business register. In the case of trusts or pension funds or other types of entities that are not listed in an official register, the client is usually asked to provide some form of official document from which the company`s data can be validated. After submission of the application and payment of the fee, the data will be processed and assigned to the LEI. It will be published in the GLEIF database and the client will also be informed that the process is complete. What makes the global LEI system reliable in the long run is the requirement to renew LEI codes annually.

During the renewal process, the entity`s data is revalidated, ensuring that the LEI data is always up-to-date and reliable. A legal entity is not limited to the use of an LEI issuer in its own country. You can access the services of any OU accredited to issue LEI codes in their authorized jurisdictions. To find an authorized issuer in any jurisdiction, GLEIF has a search function on its website. Simply select the jurisdiction(s) to find the issuers and the results will be displayed in a table. In response, the LEI system was developed by the G20 in 2011[4] in response to the inability of financial institutions to clearly identify organizations so that their financial transactions can be fully tracked in different national jurisdictions. [5] Currently, the Legal Entity Identifier Regulatory Oversight Committee (LEI ROC), a coalition of financial regulators and central banks from around the world, promotes the expansion of the LEI. The United States and European countries require companies to use the legal entity identifier when reporting details of OTC derivatives transactions to tax authorities. [ref. needed] Today, authorities in 45 jurisdictions require the use of the LEI code to identify legal entities involved in various financial transactions.

[ref. The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a globally unique identifier for legal entities involved in financial transactions. [1] It is also known as the LEI code or LEI number and is used to identify legal entities in a globally accessible database. Legal entities are organizations such as companies or government agencies involved in financial transactions. One person cannot obtain an LEI. [2] The identifier is used in regulatory reporting to financial regulators and all financial companies and funds must have an LEI. The assignment of LEI numbers is regulated by GLEIF. GLEIF is the foundation that controls the issuance of legal entity identifiers. GLEIF does not issue LEIs itself, but through a network of public and private companies that act as LOUs. Its purpose is to provide LEI number registration and renewal and to act as a gateway for organizations wishing to obtain an LEI number.

A list of LOUs can be found here. Publicly available LEI data helps to uniquely identify legal entities and thus ensure greater transparency in the global marketplace. An LEI number displays the legal name of a legal entity, the register where the legal entity is registered, the registration number, the jurisdiction, the legal form, the legal status of the legal entity and contact details such as the legal address and address of the legal entity`s registered office. This is level 1 data. It helps to understand who is who. An LEI number also contains information about a company`s ownership structure. This is level 2 data. It identifies who owns the legal entity and who owns the entity. GLEIF`s vision is to have a single registration number for all companies worldwide.

It is an identifier that would provide standardized, high-quality reference data. LEIs are required of all parties involved in regulated transactions. They provide a publicly available verifiable source for « who`s who » (organizational identity) and « who`s whom » (organizational group structures). An LEI number consists of several parts. The first four digits identify the local operating unit (LOU) that assigned the LEI, and the next two digits always have a value of 0. Characters 7 to 18 are unique for each entity and the remaining two digits are used for verification purposes. The publicly accessible LEI database is a unique key to obtaining standardized information on legal entities worldwide. Data are recorded and regularly reviewed in accordance with protocols and procedures established by the Regulatory Oversight Committee.

Some of the largest multinational banks have thousands of legal entities, many with similar names, operating around the world. With the expansion of the global LEI system, it is designed to help regulators and market participants understand and document these complex corporate structures and hierarchies.