Your organization's homepage publishes its Legal Entity Identifier for regulatory transparency
Does your structured data carry the global 20-character LEI that financial AI systems require?
What this signal tests
We check whether your Organization JSON-LD includes a leiCode property containing a valid 20-character Legal Entity Identifier. LEIs are issued by GLEIF (the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation) and used worldwide by regulators, banks, and increasingly by AI systems answering counterparty, ownership, or compliance questions.
Why it matters for your visibility in AI
Anyone doing business with a regulated counterparty, signing a derivatives contract, or filing securities paperwork needs an LEI. AI systems that handle financial, legal, or compliance queries lean on LEIs heavily because they are the only globally-unique, regulator-blessed organization identifier. The consequence is concrete for financial firms. If a user asks an AI assistant "who is the ultimate parent of Acme Markets Ltd. and are they sanctioned?", an LEI exposed on your homepage lets the assistant cross-reference GLEIF's ownership graph and sanctions lists in a single lookup. Without an LEI, the assistant may match the wrong Acme (there are hundreds of legal entities sharing common business names) and either return wrong ownership facts or refuse to answer.
Pass criteria at a glance
| Criterion | Passes when |
|---|---|
| Valid LEI present and resolvable in GLEIF. |
How we test it
We parse the Organization JSON-LD on your homepage and inspect the leiCode property. We validate that the value is exactly 20 characters: 18 alphanumeric characters followed by two digits, and we verify the ISO 17442/7064 MOD 97-10 checksum. We then call the GLEIF API to confirm the LEI is registered, current, and not lapsed. If leiCode is missing, malformed, or the LEI is lapsed, the signal fails.
Show technical detection method
Organization.leiCode matches ^[A-Z0-9]{18}\d{2}$ with valid checksum; resolves at api.gleif.org/api/v1/lei-records/<LEI>.
If your site fails: how to fix it
- Determine whether you need an LEI: required for any entity trading regulated securities or derivatives in the EU, UK, US, and most major jurisdictions.
- Obtain an LEI from any GLEIF-accredited local operating unit (LOU); search 'GLEIF LOU' for accredited providers. Cost is typically $50-$100 per year.
- Add the leiCode property to your Organization JSON-LD with the full 20-character value as a string.
- Keep the LEI 'issued' status active by renewing annually; lapsed LEIs make the signal fail and create regulatory issues.
- Optionally also add the LEI URL (https://www.gleif.org/lei/<LEI>) to sameAs as a redundant cross-reference.
- Validate with Schema.org Validator and re-run the scan.
Quick facts
| Maturity | ESTABLISHED |
|---|---|
| Weight | medium |
| Category | Entity |
Primary sources
Related signals
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an LEI if I am not a financial firm?
Probably not for the regulatory uses, but having one anyway helps AI systems disambiguate you cleanly. The annual fee is low enough that for any company that ever signs cross-border contracts or expects to, getting an LEI is a reasonable investment.
How long does it take to get an LEI?
Most local operating units issue an LEI within one to three business days after you submit your company registration documents and pay the fee. Renewals are faster, usually instant.
What is the difference between an LEI and a DUNS number?
LEI is a regulatory identifier mandated by global financial authorities; DUNS is a commercial credit and procurement identifier issued by Dun and Bradstreet. They serve different audiences: LEI is for regulators and counterparties, DUNS is for vendors and suppliers.
What happens if my LEI lapses?
The GLEIF record shows status 'LAPSED' and most counterparties stop accepting it. The signal fails until you renew. Set a calendar reminder for annual renewal; many LOUs offer multi-year prepayments to avoid lapse risk.
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