Q3 2021 in review: The LEI in numbers

Data from the latest Global LEI System business reports illustrate LEI adoption from July to September 2021

The Global LEI Foundation (GLEIF) is proud of its ongoing transparency initiatives. In particular, its open approach to providing unrestricted access to the latest LEI data from around the world through the LEI System’s quarterly annual reports, which are made available to the public free of charge. With this blog series, “LEI in Numbers”, GLEIF aims to highlight key data from the latest report, explain trends and showcase the successes of the global LEI rollout.

The latest report, which covers the third quarter of 2021, shows positive growth in global LEI volumes. More than 60,000 LEIs were issued in the third quarter, representing a quarterly growth rate of 3.3%. This steady increase is welcome news as the number of new issuances usually slows down in the summer months. The total number of active LEIs now stands at 1.88 million.

For a further summary of last quarter’s data, please see the infographic below showing the key statistics from Q3 2021.

In the third quarter, Iceland was the largest growth market for LEI issuance, with one of the highest growth rates in 2021 (30.8%). This is another significant quarterly increase for Iceland. Between Q1 and Q2, it doubled its growth rate from 9.2% to 19%. This regional growth was mainly driven by strong competition among LEI issuers.

In addition to the growth in new LEI issuance, renewal rates also increased in all EU countries (65.5%, up from 65.0% in Q2) and in non-EU countries (63.0%, up from 62.9% in Q2). The average renewal rate of countries with more than 1000 LEIs worldwide remained constant. This consistently high level of LEI issuance and renewal across multiple regions is testament to the maturity of the global LEI system and its increasingly central role in building trust in ecosystems.

In Q3, a new issuer was added to the GLEIF network of Local Operating Units (LOUs): NordLEI. Previously, NordLEI operated as a registrar in the Nordic countries before adjusting its status as an LOU to actively promote LEI issuance in Northern Europe.

For the full report, which provides more details on the status of LEI issuance and growth potential, the level of competition among LEI issuing organizations in the global LEI system, and Level 1 and Level 2 reference data, please visit the Global LEI System Annual Reports page.

https://www.gleif.org/en/newsroom/blog/q3-2021-in-review-the-lei-in-numbers