Get an LEI: Find LEI Issuing Organizations

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Obtaining a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is easy. Simply contact your preferred business partner from the list of LEI issuing organizations listed in the table below.

The role of the LEI issuing organizations

LEI issuers – also referred to as Local Operating Units (LOUs) – supply registration, renewal and other services, and act as the primary interface for legal entities wishing to obtain an LEI. Only organizations duly accredited by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) are authorized to issue LEIs. Accreditation is the process by which GLEIF evaluates the suitability of organizations seeking to operate within the Global LEI System as LEI issuers.

Becoming a member of the Global LEI System via GLEIF accreditation is a globally recognized designation of commitment to data quality and customer service. GLEIF focuses on further optimizing the quality, reliability and usability of LEI data empowering market participants to benefit from the wealth of information available within the LEI population. GLEIF makes available the following monthly data quality reports:

• Global LEI Data Quality Reports: These reports demonstrate the overall level of data quality achieved in the Global LEI System.
• LEI Issuer Data Quality Reports: These reports analyze the level of data quality achieved by the individual LEI issuing organizations.

The role of the legal entity applying for an LEI

A legal entity is not limited to using an LEI issuer in its own country; instead, it can use the registration services of any LOU that is accredited and qualified to validate LEI registrations within its authorized jurisdiction(s). The table below identifies all GLEIF-accredited LEI issuers that offer LEI services per jurisdiction. Accredited LEI issuers have successfully completed the GLEIF accreditation program for the associated jurisdictions either for non-fund entities only or for both non-fund and fund entities.To find out which LEI issuers provide services in a given country for non-fund entities, select the relevant country from the drop down box at the top of the table below. To find out which LEI issuers provide services for fund entities in a given country, please select the relevant country from the drop down box and make sure to check the “I want to register a fund” box.

The LEI connects to key reference information that enables clear and unique identification of legal entities participating in financial transactions. Through self-registration, a legal entity that wishes to obtain an LEI must supply accurate reference data, i.e. the publicly available information on legal entities identifiable with an LEI, to its LEI issuer. The reference data includes:

• Business card information, e.g. the official name of a legal entity and its registered address. In the Global LEI System, this information is referred to as ‘Level 1’ data. It provides the answer to the question of ‘who is who’.
• Relationship information, which allows the identification of the direct and ultimate parents of a legal entity, if applicable. This information is referred to as ‘Level 2’ data. It answers the question of ‘who owns whom’.

The LEI issuing organization must verify the reference data with the local Registration Authority – a national Business Register, for example – and issue an LEI compliant with the LEI standard.

The fees charged for the issuance and maintenance of an LEI are entirely a matter for the LEI issuing organizations and must be cost-based. The Global LEI System is designed to encourage competition between LEI issuing organizations.

Each LEI is published within the Global LEI Index. This is the only global online source that provides open, standardized and high quality legal entity reference data. Interested parties can access and search the complete LEI data pool using the web-based LEI search tool developed by GLEIF.

The importance of regular LEI renewal

The legal entity is required to notify the managing LEI issuing organization of changes to its legal entity reference data. The annual renewal process ensures that the legal entity and the LEI issuing organization review and re-validate the legal entity reference data at least once per year. This ensures high data quality with regard to the global LEI population and, consequently, trust in the Global LEI System.

Does your client need an LEI? Become a Registration Agent

To further streamline the issuance of LEIs, GLEIF has introduced the concept of the ‘Registration Agent’. A Registration Agent helps legal entities to access the network of LEI issuing organizations responsible for performing LEI issuance and related services. The Registration Agent may choose to partner with one or more LEI issuing organizations to ensure its clients’ needs for LEI services are met.