A Legal Entity Identity (LEI) number is a unique 20-character alphanumeric string and a globally recognized organization identifier. The LEI code is endorsed by the G20 as the most important global identifier. Organizations should have LEIs to be compliant with regulations, enable trust in their identity, and assert their legitimacy.

As a globally recognized identifier, the LEI enables clear and unique identification of legal entities participating in any transactions, including financial and digital exchanges, by connecting to key reference information made publicly accessible on GLEIF’s website. This central repository of LEI records is called the Global LEI Index and it is the only global online resource that provides open, standardized, and high-quality legal entity reference data. Each LEI contains information about an entity’s ownership structure, answering the questions of 'who is who' and 'who owns whom'.