Of relevance to: | All firms having dealings on or with the London Stock Exchange’s AIM |
Key date: | Applicable from 3 January 2018 |
The London Stock Exchange (“LSE”) requires all AIM companies with securities admitted to trading on AIM to have a Legal Entity Identifier (“LEI”).
This is in order to ensure compliance with the obligations under the Markets in Financial Instrument Directive (“MiFID II”) and Market Abuse Regulation (“MAR”), which require market operators, such as the LSE, to collate LEI codes for each issuer with securities admitted to trading.
The LEI is a unique 20-digit, alpha-numeric code based on the ISO 17442 standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”). It connects to key reference information that enables clear and unique identification of legal entities participating in financial transactions.
An AIM company can obtain an LEI from the LSE; existing AIM companies were required to be registered for an LEI by 30 November 2017.
The AIM application form for admission of new securities to trading to AIM has been amended to require an LEI. The amended form is now available on the LSE’s website and will be applicable to all AIM companies and prospective applicants seeking admission to trading on AIM.