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identity-canon/research/commercial-identity/lei-gleif-legal-entity-identifier.md
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LEI and GLEIF Legal Entity Identifier

Source Type

Standard and registry. ISO 17442 Legal Entity Identifier; GLEIF global LEI index.

Domain

Regulated financial markets, legal entity identification, and ownership transparency.

Why This Source Matters

LEI is the post-2008-crisis global standard for identifying legal entities in financial transactions. It encodes who and who owns whom, making it a canonical example of commercially binding identity with regulatory renewal requirements.

Key Concepts

  • LEI: 20-character ISO 17442 identifier for a legal entity.
  • Legal entity (LEI scope): organization participating in financial transactions; individuals cannot obtain LEI.
  • GLEIF: Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation; oversees LOUs and data quality.
  • LOU (Local Operating Unit): issuer/registrar for LEIs in a jurisdiction.
  • Level 1 data: business card data — legal name, address, jurisdiction.
  • Level 2 data: ownership — direct and ultimate parent relationships.
  • Renewal: LEI valid one year; annual renewal required for continued use.
  • Regulatory mandate: 45+ jurisdictions require LEI for certain financial reporting.

Relevant Terminology

Term Source meaning
LEI Legal Entity Identifier code.
Legal entity Juridical person in financial markets.
Level 1 Entity reference data.
Level 2 Parent/ownership reference data.
GLEIF Global LEI system operator.
LOU Local issuing organization.
Renewal Annual reaffirmation of LEI validity.
Regulator reporting MiFIR, derivatives reporting, etc.

Modeling Assumptions

  • LEI identifies legal entities only, not natural persons or login accounts.
  • Ownership is first-class in LEI Level 2 (parent chains).
  • Identity persistence is maintained by renewal, not immutability of business facts.
  • Public global directory enables counterparty verification.
  • LEI does not prove good behavior; it proves identifiable legal presence.
  • One LEI per legal entity for global financial identification.

Identity-Canon Implications

  • LEI maps to Registry Identifier (scheme: 0199, authority_class: regulatory_global, renewal_required: true) for Legal Entity / Organization actors.
  • Level 2 parent data maps to Ownership or structural Organization relationships.
  • LEI record maps to Commercial Record or authoritative Identity Record with registry Evidence Source.
  • Renewal maps to Lifecycle State on Identifier/Commercial Record.
  • LEI exemplifies commercial binding: regulatory participation requires stable, renewed legal identity.
  • Distinct from DUNS (credit/commerce) and from OIDC sub (authentication).

Terminology Conflicts

  • Legal entity (LEI) vs. Legal Entity (canon): aligned when jurisdictionally recognized.
  • Legal entity vs. Organization: not every organization has LEI; LEI subset is regulated finance participants.
  • LEI vs. company registration number: national registry ID vs. global LEI.

Candidate Canonical Mappings

LEI concept Candidate canonical concept
LEI code Registry Identifier (regulatory_global, ICD 0199)
Legal entity Legal Entity / Organization
Level 1 data Commercial Record / registry Profile
Level 2 parent Ownership Relationship
GLEIF registry Evidence Source (authoritative)
Annual renewal Lifecycle State maintenance
LOU issuance Issuer Scope + Trust Relationship

Open Questions

(none — settled in commercial-identity-nuance-settlement.md)

Settled

  • Registry Identifier subtype; LEI↔company reg strong; LEI↔DUNS medium.

References