About a-team Marketing Services
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry

A-Team Insight Blogs

Talking Reference Data with Andrew Delaney: The Great LEI Road Show Comes To Town

Subscribe to our newsletter

Right on cue, the Office of Financial Research (OFR) this week released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs), to help practitioners get their heads around the new legal entity identifier (LEI) ahead of its launch next month. The FAQs help set the scene for the long-awaited introduction of this crucial data standard, and it’s clear from research we’re currently undertaking that a lot is riding on it.

Firms are taking the new standard seriously because they see it as a kind of ‘missing link’ that will allow them to tie together a bunch of different data sets that are difficult to get to speak to each other in a meaningful way. Much time, energy and money is being spent by financial institutions as they try to get control over their client-onboarding and KYC efforts, and LEI may be a panacea for true progress toward streamlined processes.

The OFR FAQ is timely, because it helps put the initiative in perspective just as firms themselves need to act to embrace the new standard. You can download a copy here.

It’s also timely because it makes great background reading for those planning to join our webinar next Wednesday February 27 at 3pm London time titled Preparing for Primetime – How to Benefit from the Global LEI.

You can register for this free event here.

Given the level of interest in our last LEI webinar back in October, we expect significant participation. Joining us next Wednesday are: Francis Gross, Head of Division, External Statistics at European Central Bank; Peter Warms, Head of Product Development for Global Data and Symbology, Bloomberg Data Solutions; Mark Davies, General Manager, Avox Ltd.; and Tim Lind, Global Head of Legal Entity and Corporate Actions, Enterprise Content at Thomson Reuters.

They’ll be sharing their insights on the LEI situation, and as usual I’ll have a few thorny questions for them. We’ll also be taking questions from the audience on the day, so it’s important that you join us ‘in real time’.

The webinar is part of our Hot Topics Programme for LEI, the next iteration of which will be a panel session at our Data Management Summit in London on March 12. Take a look at the programme here.

As you can see, we have a strong panel for the session on LEI – Benefiting from the New Legal Entity Identifier – and we’re honoured to be hosting Con Crowley, associate director for information standards at OFR, who’ll be making a scene-setting presentation: Why the LEI is an Important Development for our Industry. Don’t miss it.

Con will be joined for a panel discussion by HSBC’s Chris Johnson, Bloomberg Data Solutions’ Peter Warms and Datactics’ Stuart Harvey. That gives us coverage of many bases.

So, a lot going on with LEI in the coming weeks. (Did I mention our special report, due out next week?) Join us February 27 and March 12. Then we’ll regroup for the post-LEI world.

Should be quite a ride.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Related content

WEBINAR

Recorded Webinar: How to simplify and modernize data architecture to unleash data value and innovation

The data needs of financial institutions are growing at pace as new formats and greater volumes of information are integrated into their systems. With this has come greater complexity in managing and governing that data, amplifying pain points along data pipelines. In response, innovative new streamlined and flexible architectures have emerged that can absorb and...

BLOG

Strong Governance, Privacy Policies Can Negate AI Risks, Informatica Says

Debate about the limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) in data management was stoked further this week when a leading vendor warned that applications built on nascent large language model (LLM) technology could pose an “existential threat” to companies if not deployed thoughtfully. Jason du Preez, vice president of privacy and security at cloud data management...

EVENT

AI in Capital Markets Summit London

The AI in Capital Markets Summit will explore current and emerging trends in AI, the potential of Generative AI and LLMs and how AI can be applied for efficiencies and business value across a number of use cases, in the front and back office of financial institutions. The agenda will explore the risks and challenges of adopting AI and the foundational technologies and data management capabilities that underpin successful deployment.

GUIDE

AI in Capital Markets: Practical Insight for a Transforming Industry – Free Handbook

AI is no longer on the horizon – it’s embedded in the infrastructure of modern capital markets. But separating real impact from inflated promises requires a grounded, practical understanding. The AI in Capital Markets Handbook 2025 provides exactly that. Designed for data-driven professionals across the trade life-cycle, compliance, infrastructure, and strategy, this handbook goes beyond...