GLEIF and Ethereum Name Service (ENS) Labs Explore Verifiable Organizational Identity Onchain

ENS Labs and GLEIF are working together to establish a path for verifiable organizational identity onchain through the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) framework

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As financial markets evolve and organizations increasingly operate onchain, the need for consistent and verifiable organizational identity is growing. Organizations may use multiple wallets, networks, and infrastructure providers, and while a blockchain address indicates where a transaction is sent, it does not necessarily identify the legal entity behind it.

This is why the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) and ENS Labs are exploring how globally standardized, verifiable organizational identity can connect to a persistent onchain reference for an organization. The teams are developing a proposed approach for associating external identifiers, such as ENS names, with an organization’s Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) and verifiable LEI (vLEI), creating a path for applications and counterparties to verify the organizational identity behind an onchain name.

Building on a Foundation of Standardized Organizational Identity

The LEI is a unique, globally standardized identifier that enables anyone, anywhere in the world, to access clear, unique identification data about a legal entity. The vLEI extends verified organizational identity into the digital domain, enabling counterparties to computationally verify the identity, authority, and role of people acting on an organization’s behalf.

Ethereum Name Service provides a complementary function as an open naming layer. An ENS name can point to addresses and other information used by wallets and applications across networks, providing an organization with a persistent onchain reference even as the underlying infrastructure changes.

The proposed approach connects these two functions: the ENS name provides the persistent onchain reference, while the vLEI provides verifiable organizational identity. Through the proposed approach, applications and counterparties could establish greater confidence in an organization’s onchain identity through a signed association between an ENS name and the corresponding vLEI.

Where Verifiable Organizational Identity Could Matter Onchain

• Managing counterparty risk – a single counterparty may operate multiple wallets, deploy across several networks, and change providers over time. Connecting an ENS name with a vLEI could give institutions a persistent, verifiable reference for the legal entity they are transacting with, rather than relying solely on the address that receives the funds.

• Asset tokenization – as institutions tokenize funds, securities, and other assets onchain, market participants need a clear connection to the legal entity standing behind an issuance. An ENS name associated with a vLEI could provide a consistent organizational reference across assets and networks, even as the underlying technical infrastructure evolves.

• Onchain account authenticity – anyone can deploy a smart contract or create a wallet and claim to represent an organization. Associating an ENS name with a vLEI could give counterparties and applications a way to independently verify the legal entity behind that claim and the authority and role of the individual acting on its behalf.

Verifiable Organizational Identity Across Onchain Infrastructure

The ongoing work with ENS Labs forms part of GLEIF’s broader efforts to make verifiable organizational identity usable across emerging digital and blockchain infrastructures. GLEIF is also working with Chainlink to bring vLEI-based organizational identity into blockchain environments, enabling institutions and applications to verify the legal entities behind onchain wallets, smart contracts, and digital assets. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how globally standardized organizational identity can support trust and interoperability as financial activity increasingly moves onchain.

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