Frequently asked LEI questions

GlobalLEI: 1 year £85 • 3 years £195 • 5 years £295. Multi‑year plans include automatic annual renewal during the period. Prices include the GLEIF contribution. A digital LEI certificate is included at no extra cost.

Listed prices include the mandatory GLEIF contribution. Local taxes (such as VAT, GST, HST, or sales tax) are only added where required by law and are itemised on your checkout summary and invoice. You will always see the final amount before you pay.

Yes. LEIs must be renewed every 12 months to stay "Active" in the global GLEIF database. We send reminders ahead of expiry and offer multi-year or automatic renewal so you never lapse.

Yes. Choosing a 3 or 5 year term locks in savings versus annual renewal and means we automatically renew the LEI each year inside that period.

An LEI is valid for one year at a time. Renew annually to keep the record active and compliant. Multi-year options are available to handle renewal automatically each year.

Yes. LEIs can be moved between providers without changing the 20-character code. We handle the transfer free of charge; you only pay the renewal fee if your LEI is due to expire. Most transfers complete within one working day.

Absolutely. Any LEI issued by a GLEIF-accredited LOU is globally recognised. The code will appear in the public GLEIF database and can be used for UK, EU, and other international filings.

LEIs are embedded in financial regulation so regulators, banks, and market infrastructures can reliably identify who is behind each transaction. They power post‑trade transparency, systemic risk monitoring, and faster onboarding. Without an LEI, firms often cannot file mandated reports, clear derivatives, or access certain payment rails, so maintaining an active code is a prerequisite for doing business with regulated financial institutions.

Common examples include: (1) investment firms and trading venues reporting trades under MiFID/MiFIR or EMIR; (2) banks, building societies, and treasury teams submitting data to central banks or payment regulators; (3) corporates and funds issuing or trading securities, repos, or stock lending transactions; (4) high-value payment participants instructed by their banks; and (5) entities accessing wholesale FX, commodities, or cross-border trade finance. Many corporates also adopt LEIs voluntarily because overseas counterparties require them.

Major banks increasingly request LEIs when onboarding corporate customers for high-value payments, cross-border wires, or supply-chain finance. Payment system operators recommend LEIs so counterparties can be screened consistently. International cash managers also ask for LEIs to satisfy sanctions, AML, and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.

A Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a unique 20-character alphanumeric code used to identify legal entities in financial transactions worldwide. It acts as a global reference ID for your organization, created to improve transparency and risk management in the financial system.

Each LEI is associated with reference data about the entity – such as its official name, registered address, and ownership structure – essentially answering the questions of "who is who" and "who owns whom." In other words, an LEI makes it easy for regulators and counterparties to uniquely recognize a company or organization across the globe.

LEIs are issued and maintained by GLEIF-accredited organizations called Local Operating Units (LOUs). Any LEI issued by an accredited LOU is globally valid and listed in the public GLEIF database.

The 20-character LEI consists of: 4 characters LOU prefix, 2 reserved zeros, 12 entity-specific characters, and 2 check digits.