The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a global standard (ISO 17442) for uniquely identifying legal entities involved in financial transactions. The LEI system was established by the G20 after the 2008 financial crisis to improve transparency in financial markets and enable regulators to better monitor systemic risk.
LEIs are issued by Local Operating Units (LOUs) accredited by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF). In the UK, the main issuers are the London Stock Exchange and Bloomberg. Each LEI must be renewed annually to remain active.
Having an LEI is mandatory for companies involved in certain financial market activities, including trading securities, reporting derivatives, and issuing bonds. Large companies, financial institutions, and fund managers typically require LEIs.
BORSCH.AI integrates GLEIF data covering over 227,000 LEI records matched to 99,000 UK companies. The LEI data includes parent-child ownership relationships, enabling corporate structure analysis and ultimate beneficial ownership mapping.