What is LEI (Legal Entity Identifier)?
A Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-character alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies legal entities participating in financial transactions worldwide. Managed by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), LEIs provide a standardized way to identify counterparties, fund entities, and issuers across jurisdictions.
Under AIFMD II, LEI usage has been expanded significantly. All fund entities, AIFMs, counterparties, and prime brokers referenced in Annex IV filings must be identified by their LEI where available. Some NCAs like BaFin have made LEI mandatory for all entity references with no fallback to national identifiers.
LEIs must be renewed annually to remain active. An expired or inactive LEI can cause filing rejections, making LEI lifecycle management a critical operational concern for compliance teams.
Why It Matters for Compliance
Without valid LEIs, your Annex IV filings will be rejected by most NCAs. AIFMD II has tightened LEI requirements significantly — it's no longer optional for counterparty identification. Managing LEI validity across all entities referenced in your filings is an ongoing operational requirement, not a one-time setup.
How Caelith Helps
Caelith automatically resolves and validates LEIs for all entities in your filings, alerts you to expiring LEIs before they cause rejections, and maps LEIs to national identifiers where required by specific NCAs.
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