Legal Entity Identifiers

Bringing trust, integrity and authenticity to the world’s industries

What is a Legal Entity Identifier?

A Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-character, globally recognised code that uniquely identifies legal entities involved in financial transactions. Introduced after the 2008 financial crisis, LEIs enhance transparency, security and regulatory compliance for over 2 million organisations for identification and compliance. They are now used widely for Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, Anti-Money Laundering (AML), banking and client onboarding processes.

LEI

Benefits of incorporating LEIs in digital signatures

Ascertia is working with its partners to incorporate LEIs into digital signatures, as part of our commitment to digital security and trust.
  • Verified Signature Identification – The signer’s legal identity is embedded directly into the signature for added authenticity.
  • Global Standard Compliance – LEIs align with ETSI and ISO standards for digital signing.
  • Future-proof your business – Recognised by the EU as a trusted mechanism for qualified digital certificates.
  • For more information, read our blog on Why LEI’s matter: Enhancing trust and transparency

Our long-standing partnership with Ascertia has been instrumental in delivering on the ‘rapid’ in RapidLEI, ensuring seamless, highly accurate and efficient LEI issuance. Ascertia’s technology is integral to our mission of making the LEI the globally recognised organisation identifier, unlocking opportunities for streamlined and secure cross-border transactions in line with the Global LEI Foundation vision. We are excited to further collaborate with the Ascertia team as we develop solutions around the EUDI (EU Digital Identity) framework, driving innovation in digital identity and organisational trust.

Steve Waite

CMO

Ubisecure RapidLEI

How to get a document signed with an LEI-Enabled digital certificate

With SigningHub, Ascertia’s digital signing platform, integrating LEIs into digital signatures is seamless. Users sign into their SigningHub account and use a Certificate Authority (CA) to generate a qualified digital certificate with an embedded LEI.

The signing certificate can then be used within your SigningHub account as you would with any other certificate to sign as required by the workflow you’ve set up.

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FAQs

How does Ascertia incorporate LEIs into digital signatures?

Ascertia integrates Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs) into digital signatures by embedding them within qualified digital certificates. This ensures that each digital signature includes a verifiable, globally recognised identifier, enhancing trust and compliance in financial transactions and digital document signing. By incorporating the LEI into the signing certificate, organisations can demonstrate their legitimacy in processes such as KYC, AML and regulatory reporting.

How secure is the process of embedding an LEI into a digital signature?

The integration of an LEI into a digital signature adheres to strict industry standards, including ETSI and ISO, ensuring data integrity and security. The LEI is embedded within a qualified digital certificate issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). When a document is signed using Ascertia’s SigningHub, the signature is cryptographically sealed, preventing tampering or unauthorised modifications. This guarantees the authenticity, compliance and long-term validity of the signed document.

What happens if an organisation updates its information—does the LEI change?

If an organisation undergoes changes such as a name modification, structural reorganisation, or relocation, it must update its details with the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) or its chosen Local Operating Unit (LOU). The LEI itself remains unchanged, but the updated information is reflected in the GLEIF database. Organisations using LEI-enabled digital certificates should renew or reissue their certificates to incorporate the updated information into their digital signatures. Ascertia ensures that these changes are seamlessly integrated into its signing process, maintaining compliance and accuracy.