The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) is a not-for-profit
organization established to support the implementation and use of the LEI. The GLEIF manages a network
of partners, LEI issuing organizations such as GS1, to provide trusted services and open, reliable
data for unique legal entity identification worldwide.
The LEI is a unique, 20-character alphanumeric code based on the ISO 17442 standard, which is
assigned to legal entities that are counterparties to financial transactions. The LEI links back to a
data set of critical information about the transacting entity, including ultimate entity ownership.
Each LEI code is assigned by an approved local operating unit, which benefits from local knowledge of
infrastructure, corporate organizational frameworks and business practices.