Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs) are connected to standardised sets of reference data that describe a legal entity’s identity and structure. This reference data is grouped into two categories called Level 1 and Level 2 data
- Level 1 data. is who is who.
- Level 2 data is who owns whom.
Understanding these data levels helps organisations verify entity identities consistently, meets regulatory reporting requirements and supports transparent risk and counterparty management.
What is Level 1 data?
Level 1 data refers to the basic identifying information about a legal entity. It answers the question:
Who is the entity?
Level 1 data includes:
- The legal name of the entity
- The registered address
- The legal form of the entity
- The country of registration
- The LEI code itself
- The entity’s date of initial LEI issuance
This information gives a foundational view of the entity’s identity and is essential for reporting, compliance and verification.
What is Level 2 data?
Level 2 data refers to the key relational information that describes how an entity is connected to other legal entities. It answers the question:
Who owns or controls the entity?
Level 2 data includes:
- Direct and Ultimate Parents
- Ownership percentages (where available)
- Control relationships
- Direct and Ultimate Legal Owners
In practical terms, Level 2 data helps organisations understand corporate hierarchies and ownership structures, which is critical for risk assessment, regulatory reporting and transparency initiatives.
Why Level 1 and Level 2 data matter
Both data levels serve important purposes:
Level 1 (entity identity)
Provides essential details that uniquely describe a legal entity’s core identity. This data is used for:
- Regulatory reporting
- Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB)
- Contracting and onboarding
- Data reconciliation
Level 2 (relationship data)
Provides insight into how entities are related, controlled or owned. This data is used for:
- Group structure analysis
- Consolidated reporting
- Counterparty exposure assessments
- Ownership and control reporting
The LEI uniquly binds verified Level 1 and Level 2 data, so that organisations achieve a fuller picture of legal entities and their connections.
How to view Level 1 and Level 2 data
For any LEI, Level 1 and Level 2 data can be viewed through Search LEI that accesses the GLEIF public LEI reference data. These views display the core identity data (Level 1) and any available relationship data (Level 2) associated with the code.