LEI stands for a Legal Entity Identifier, which is a unique code for a legal entity such as a trust, fund, limited company, or any association. The LEI code contains a blend of 20 numbers and letters; it is an alpha-numeric code. This code helps in determining the entity on a global database of different entities. These entities can be searched by number rather than names, as many entities may have the same or similar names. The LEI code is given as per ISO (International Organization for Standardization) benchmarks. This code is now a legal necessity within the international financial system for many companies. These days many companies are trading in the global financial market.

The LEI document of the companies must consist of public data such as name, address, place where they are registered, information about the branch if any, or if it is a company possessed by another parent company. To date, more than 1.8 million LEIs have been developed globally. It is getting adopted faster as a global standard for doing a business transactions at the global level.

The various market players can be recognized by the LEI code on a single standardized database. This allows correct data of a company that is available and free of use without charge.  Click Here to know more.

The importance of Legal Entity Identifiers (LEI):

  • Helps in evading problems faced before finding out about the counter party without any digital presence. Digital absence was a lot challenging during the global financial crisis a decade ago.
  • With the introduction of the LEI code, financial institutions are now in the place of determining vast numbers of entities and funds. Also with this, it has cracked the complications relating to risk assessment and transparency.
  • The G20 has founded the LEI code system in the year 2011 and has ensured to stop the complications that are going on in the past.
  • LEI code helps in assembling a digital database, where all the legal entities are easily accessible, accurate, and up to date. It can be said as a centralized source of information, which is competent in attaining high-quality data. The database can be accessed by utilizing the LEI search tool.
  • The LEIs code enables the business houses in linking data sets and improving their analysis.

 

  • It also obliges in building a complete image of the business, by linking the data, as it could aid small business houses to access finance.

Who regulates the system?

The legal entity identifier is controlled by the ROC through the GLEIF i.e the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation. Even the regulatory use of the LEI codes is mainly handled by the regional and jurisdictional authorities.

Various benefits of obtaining an LEI system:

Uniqueness and Singularity

The LEI code system considers that to a legal entity only one legal entity identifier can be assigned. Also, the LEIs can’t be operated more than once.

Persistence

The Legal Entity Identifier system is resistant to the changes that happen in the lifetime of a business entity. If the business entity is entirely dissolved through a merger or a closure or completely subsumed by another business entity then the authentic identifier code shall remain in the functional position.