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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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ISO 17442

On this page

ISO TC 68 standard underpinning the global LEI system, born out of the 2008 financial crisis.

Definition

ISO 17442 fixes the LEI format: 4 characters for the issuing LOU prefix, 2 reserved zeros, 12 entity-identification characters, then 2 check digits (MOD 97-10, ISO 7064). The system is governed by GLEIF.

Origin

Defined by ISO 17442 "Financial services — Legal entity identifier (LEI)", ISO TC 68; operational governance rests with the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF).

Example in context

5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12 — GLEIF's own LEI: LOU prefix "5493", entity block, and check digits "12".

  • LEI — the identifier this standard defines.
  • ISO 20275 (ELF) — legal-form code attached to the LEI.