LEI Data

GLEIF Golden Copy and Delta Files



The GLEIF Golden Copy Files, in addition to the GLEIF Concatenated Files, provide a distinct means to access, and explore the information included within, the Global LEI Index.

The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) issues three sets of Golden Copy Files daily. With each updated version of the Golden Copy Files, GLEIF also makes available four delta files.

The delta files identify only newly issued Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs) and / or revisions to an LEI’s reference data historically reported in a Golden Copy File published either:

  • Eight hours earlier.
  • 24 hours earlier.
  • Seven days earlier.
  • One month (31 days) earlier.

The GLEIF Golden Copy Files and delta files ensure easy access to the latest information on new and updated LEIs

The Golden Copy Files, together with the delta files, are of particular interest to LEI data users who seek to obtain frequently updated (three times daily) information on LEIs and related reference data in a ready-to-use format that ensures:

  • Data does not contain technical duplicates.
  • All LEIs ever published in a GLEIF Golden Copy File version, as well as all new LEIs published by the LEI issuers since the previous release of a Golden Copy File, are included in the file.
  • Enriched reference data provides deeper insight into the global market place.

The delta files allow data users to quickly identify new or updated LEIs and reference data without the need to download the files containing the complete LEI population.

Difference between the GLEIF Concatenated Files and the GLEIF Golden Copy Files

GLEIF Concatenated Files GLEIF Golden Copy Files
Source The individual files, published daily by the LEI issuing organizations.

The LEI issuers may upload updated files to GLEIF up to ten times daily.

The GLEIF Concatenated Files include the content of the latest updated files made available by the LEI issuers before GLEIF performs the concatenation once daily.
Stand-alone Golden Copy database maintained by GLEIF.

GLEIF updates the database up to ten times daily based on latest files including LEIs and related reference data uploaded by the LEI issuers to GLEIF.

With the updates of the database, GLEIF performs the following actions:
  • New LEIs are added.
  • Revisions to reference data for a specific LEI are updated.
Content Historical and current LEI records including related reference data based on the relevant Common Data File (CDF) format as published by the LEI issuers.

With the creation of the Concatenated Files, GLEIF does not modify any of the original source files provided by the LEI issuers.
Historical and current LEI records including related reference data based on the relevant CDF format. GLEIF does not modify the original reference data provided by LEI issuers.

Additional reference data (see below) derived from the GLEIF Golden Copy database is provided.
Technical duplicates possible:
The same LEI is listed by two LEI issuers in the event that a registrant transfers its LEI from one issuer to another.
  • The sending LEI issuer sets the registration status to PENDING_ARCHIVAL.
  • The receiving LEI issuer then publishes the LEI record to be transferred with the correct registration status (e.g. ISSUED).
  • In a next step, the sending LEI issuer removes the LEI record from its publication.
Between the second and third step, i.e. during a short period of time (a few business days), both LEI records are published in parallel by the sending LEI issuer and the receiving LEI issuer. In this event, the same LEI is published twice with the relevant Concatenated Files.
No technical duplicates:
In the event that the same LEI is listed twice in a Concatenated File during the period when it is transferred from one LEI issuer to another (see column to the left for details), GLEIF identifies this situation and decides which of the two records will be published in the Golden Copy Files.

As a result, the Golden Copy Files, which contain Level 1 data on who is who, list each LEI only once.
Individual LEI records may be missing:
In exceptional cases and as a result of technical glitches, on some days the files published by an LEI issuer may not contain all LEIs managed by this issuer. Consequently, relevant LEI records will be missing from the Concatenated Files published on that day.
Complete LEI records:
The Golden Copy Files always contain all LEIs ever published in a GLEIF Golden Copy File version including related reference data as well as all new LEIs published by the LEI issuers since the previous release of a Golden Copy File.
Publication frequency GLEIF publishes one set of updated Concatenated Files daily. GLEIF makes available three sets of updated Golden Copy Files daily (02:00 UTC, 10:00 UTC, 18:00 UTC).
File formats XML XML, CSV and JSON.
Reference data No additional reference data:
Each LEI connects to reference data, i.e. the information on a legal entity identifiable with an LEI. The Concatenated Files only contain the reference data defined with the applicable CDF format.
Additional reference data – geo coding:
In addition to the reference data defined with the applicable CDF format, the Golden Copy Files include coordinates (longitude, latitude) and normalized address strings for the legal address and headquarters address of an LEI record.
Delta files Not available for Concatenated Files. Available for Golden Copy Files.

Detailed information is available with the ‘GLEIF Golden Copy and Delta Files Specification and User Manual’

For detailed information about the GLEIF Golden Copy Files and delta files, including how to download, use and interpret the files, please read the 'GLEIF Golden Copy and Delta Files Specification and User Manual', which is available for download below.


Relevant Files for Download