The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) and the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) have launched a new initiative that integrates official central company register data directly into the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) records of Swiss companies.

GLEIF provides the Global LEI Index, which is the world’s only online source for open, standardized, and high-quality legal entity reference data, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

Enhancing Business Transparency

The integration of datasets is expected to significantly improve international business transparency and foster global identifiability and discoverability.

All active companies in Switzerland receive a standardized business identification number (UID). The register is maintained by the FSO to ensure the correct allocation, management, and use of the UID. Through the collaboration with GLEIF, a direct URL link to the official UID register entry is added to the LEI records of listed companies.

This allows easy access to verified registration data and related documents on the UID register website.

For data users, this simplifies due diligence processes such as «Know Your Customer» (KYC) and «Know Your Supplier» (KYS). Manual identification of the responsible registration authority, language translation, or manual searches based on registration numbers are no longer necessary. As a result, compliance processes can be accelerated, and operational friction reduced. In particular, smaller Swiss companies could become more visible to global partners.

Facilitating Due Diligence Processes

«GLEIF and the Swiss Federal Statistical Office share the goal of promoting greater transparency and digital trust in global markets,» said GLEIF CEO Alexandre Kech. «Through this collaboration, we are making global due diligence processes significantly more efficient and demonstrating the value of the LEI for international trade.»

The foundation was established in 2014 by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and is a supranational, non-profit organization headquartered in Basel. Its mission is to promote the implementation and use of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI). It is supported and overseen by the Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC), which represents regulatory authorities from various countries that have come together to enhance transparency in global markets and to combat financial crime and corporate fraud, according to the organization’s website.