Access and Use LEI Data

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The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) enables clear and unique identification of legal entities engaging in financial transactions and other official interactions. Implementation of the LEI increases the ability of authorities in any jurisdiction to evaluate risk, conduct market surveillance and take corrective steps. Use of an LEI and vLEI also generates tangible benefits for businesses including reduced counterparty risk and increased operational efficiencies. This page describes how to access the quality assured LEI data pool to easily and quickly source information on who is who and who owns whom free of charge.

Connect the corporate dots with the LEI: the Global LEI Index

The business card information available with the legal entity reference data, e.g. the official name of a legal entity and its registered address, is referred to as ‘Level 1’ data. It provides the answer to the question of who is who. In addition, the LEI data pool includes the ‘Level 2’ data that answers the question of who owns whom.

The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) has published the Global LEI Index. It contains historical and current LEI records including related reference data in one authoritative, central repository. The reference data provides the information on a legal entity identifiable with an LEI. The Global LEI Index is the only global online source that provides open, standardized and high quality legal entity reference data. GLEIF offers various means to access the publicly available LEI data pool e.g. via its web-based search tool or its file download service (see below for details). Subject to the selected mode of accessing the LEI data pool, users are able to source additional information relevant to an LEI record such as enriched reference data or other identifiers that have been mapped to the LEI.

With the LEI Statistics, GLEIF offers key facts and figures on the global LEI population via interactive graphs and a drill-down world map.

In addition, GLEIF publishes the quarterly Global LEI System Business Report, which highlights main trends relevant to the adoption of the LEI and provides in-depth analysis of the LEI data pool. Specifically, the reports assess annual growth and renewal expectations, evaluate the level of competition between LEI issuing organizations operating in the Global LEI System and analyze LEI renewal rates and reference data corroboration. GLEIF also delivers statistics on direct and ultimate parent information provided by legal entities.

GLEIF is committed to ensuring easy access to the complete LEI data pool

The drivers of the LEI initiative, i.e. the Group of 20, the Financial Stability Board and many regulators around the world, have emphasized the need to make the LEI available for the wider public good. This is contingent upon ensuring easy access to the global LEI population.

• Any interested party can access and search the complete LEI data pool free of charge and without the need to register using the web-based LEI search tool developed by GLEIF. The LEI search tool provides enhanced functionality including the option to identify corporate ownership structures or pinpoint other identifiers that have been mapped to an LEI.
• GLEIF also makes available the full LEI data set, i.e. the ‘GLEIF Concatenated Files’, via its file download service. These files contain the content of the individual files, published by the LEI issuing organizations, which list all LEIs issued to legal entities and related LEI reference data.
• The GLEIF Golden Copy Files and delta files are of particular interest to LEI data users who seek to obtain frequently updated (three times daily) information on LEIs and related reference data in a ready-to-use format. The delta files will allow data users to quickly identify new or updated LEIs and reference data without the need to download the files containing the complete LEI population.
• The GLEIF application programming interface (API) provides developers with access to full LEI Data search engine functionality, including filters, full-text and single-field searches of Level 1 (LEI Record) Data. It also supports retrieval of LEI Records (including links to their Level 2 data, where available) based on a search of their associated Level 2 (relationship) data, and "fuzzy" matching of important data fields such as names and addresses.

LEI mapping across multiple ID platforms: facilitating interoperability and accuracy

The mapping of LEIs against other identifiers enables market participants to link and cross-reference key entity identifiers free of charge. This will significantly streamline entity verification processes and reduce data management costs.

In February 2018, GLEIF announced a cooperation which piloted its Certification of LEI Mapping service: the publication of the first monthly open source Business Identifier Code (BIC)-to-LEI relationship file which is built upon a mapping process established by SWIFT and certified by GLEIF. The file matches BICs assigned to an organization against its LEI.

In April 2019, GLEIF and the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) piloted the first daily open-source International Securities Identification Number (ISIN)-to-LEI relationship files that link newly issued ISINs and LEIs.

GLEIF has established a free of charge certification process – the GLEIF Certification of LEI Mapping service - to ensure that organizations which map the LEI to their own identifiers use state of the art methodologies and / or processes to do so accurately. Data vendors and other organizations benefit significantly from mapping their applicable identifiers to the LEI, as this provides enhanced functionality to their customers. Interoperability across parallel ID platforms eases the process of gathering, aggregating and reconciling counterparty information for data users. This can be useful for many purposes including: compliance; regulatory reporting; client relationship management; and due diligence.

GLEIF focuses on further optimizing the quality, reliability and usability of LEI data

The GLEIF data quality management program allows the quality of the LEI data pool (the publicly available information on legal entities identifiable with an LEI) to be monitored, assessed and further optimized.

The centralized challenge facility, made available by GLEIF, extends the ability to trigger updates of LEI data to all interested parties. The GLEIF challenge facility enables LEI data users to substantiate doubts regarding the referential integrity between LEI records, or the accuracy and completeness of the related reference data. This includes parent relationship information. It also indicates possible duplicate entries or any lack of timely response to LEI related corporate actions.

Stay up-to-date on technical developments relevant to the LEI

To receive updates on technical developments relevant to the LEI, subscribe to the GLEIF Email Notifications on Technical Updates.