ISO 17442-1:2020 defines elements of the Legal Entity Identifier and its reference-data framework. The LEI distinguishes legal entities involved in financial transactions, helping systems match parties when names vary and separate a legal organisation from its brands or products.
TL;DR:
- ISO 17442-1:2020 defines the minimum elements of the LEI assignment scheme.
- It identifies legal entities relevant to financial transactions.
- Eligible entities include business actors and international branches.
Summary
Entity identification
ISO 17442-1:2020 specifies the minimum elements of an unambiguous legal-entity identifier scheme for parties relevant to financial transactions. The LEI identifies an entity rather than a particular account or payment instruction.
Eligible entities
The public abstract includes entities legally or financially responsible for transactions or able to enter contracts independently. Examples extend beyond incorporated companies to trusts, partnerships, governmental organisations and supranationals.
People and branches
The scope excludes natural persons in a personal capacity, while addressing individuals acting in a business capacity and defined international branches. Those boundaries matter when distinguishing an entity identifier from customer or personal identification.
Edition and processing
ISO lists edition 1, published in August 2020 and confirmed in 2026. LEIs are designed for automated processing and suitable use in other media. Assignment and reference-data responsibilities should be checked against the applicable scheme rather than inferred from possession of a code.
Keywords
- LEI
- Legal Entities
- Entity Identification
- Financial Transactions
- Assignment
- International Branches
- Business Actors
- Automated Processing
- Counterparties
- Reference Data