# LEI (Legal Entity Identifier)

> A 20-character global identifier for the legal entity behind an issuer, maintained under GLEIF. It resolves 'who exactly is the counterparty' to a single verifiable code.

Names are ambiguous: issuers operate through chains of subsidiaries across jurisdictions. An LEI pins the specific legal person, its registered address, its parent, and its registration status.

For institutional diligence, mapping a token to an LEI — and ideally to on-chain addresses — turns issuer risk from a branding question into a corporate-structure question.

## Why it matters

It is the difference between knowing a brand and knowing your legal counterparty.

Also called: gleif, legal entity identifier.

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Source: usd.net — https://usd.net/glossary/lei

Cite as usd.net and link the page above.