LEI

Due to new regulations, a global identification code has been introduced for trading in securities. Each company is required to have an LEI-code.
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Requirements for companies when trading securities

All companies and other legal entities require a global identification code, referred to as a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), to be able to carry out securities transactions. To avoid problems with your securities trading, you need to register your company’s LEI. Companies do not require an LEI to trade mutual fund units. However, trading in exchange-traded funds (ETF) does require a LEI.

How to order and register an LEI:

  1. Select an authorised issuer of LEI codes. You will find links to some issuers below.
  2. Register your information on the issuer’s website.
  3. Pay the required registration fee. The price is shown on the LEI issuer’s website.
  4. You will receive an LEI code when the LEI issuer has approved you application and the registration fee has been paid.

Issuers of LEI

How do I order a LEI?

You can apply for a LEI directly from an issuer or via an intermediary. The Legal Entity Identifier Regulatory Oversight Committee (LEI ROC) has produced a list of approved issuers.Issuers approved by LEI ROC (Opens in a new window) Opens in a new window

Here are some frequently used intermediaries: 

How much does an LEI cost and how long does it take?

Depending on the issuer, a LEI costs between SEK 750 and SEK 1 500 for the first year. Subsequent annual fees are between SEK 500 and SEK 1 000. To be able to trade in securities, it is important that you update your LEI every year and pay the annual fee. 

It can take up from 15 minutes up to 5-7 business days to receive your LEI, depending on which issuer you choose. However, if many companies are applying at the same time, it may take longer. Some issuers also offers automated renewal up to three or five years. 

Frequently asked questions about LEI

  • The requirement for an identifier has existed for the derivatives market since 2014 but now the EU has expanded the rules to include all types of securities through the MiFIR regulation (Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation). The purpose of the regulation is that the authorities – regardless of country – can trace and identify the buyer and seller in a securities transaction and who makes the decision. In Sweden, this means that we report all the parties involved in a securities transaction to the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.
  • LEI stands for Legal Entity Identifier. An LEI makes it possible to identify all investors in the EU. The new EU regulations mean that, as of 2018, all legal entities such as companies, asset managers and mutual funds will need an LEI to be able to trade in securities and derivatives.

  • Please contact your local branch as soon as you have received your LEI code. They will help you to register your code.

  • If a sole trader wants to trade in derivatives, an LEI is required. Otherwise an NID is sufficient.

  • At the end of October, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (FI) decided that it is the owner’s (i.e. the insurance company’s) LEI which must be reported for securities transactions within an endowment insurance custody account. As a result of this decision, the company does not require its own LEI to be able to trade securities within an endowment insurance custody account (Kapitalspar Depå).
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