GLEIF Publishes Annual Report in ESEF Format, Shows Benefits of LEI
GLEIF published its second annual report in human and machine-readable Inline XBRL and HTML format, with the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) embedded within both the annual report and the digital certificates of GLEIF’s signing executive officers. This was delivered in partnership with the XBRL International and Workiva and in cooperation with ESMA. In this report, GLEIF showcased how the LEIs should be included within digital, machine-readable financial documentation on the basis of the ESEF mandate of ESMA, to enhance trust and ease data aggregation. The report also demonstrated how simple it is to incorporate the LEI into electronic signatures as an additional best practice. GLEIF also published its data quality report for the month of June 2020, with the report showing that 33 out of 35 "LEI Issuers" continue to achieve the required data quality.
GLEIF strongly encourages all issuers to step up their efforts to comply with the new single electronic format, the ESEF, from ESMA. Embedding LEIs into financial documentation is mandated by ESMA, which strongly supports the GLEIF effort to advocate for timely and high-quality compliance with the ESEF requirements. With this development, GLEIF became a front-runner in complying (voluntarily) with the new EU regulation that determines the electronic reporting format for issuers preparing their annual financial reports—beginning on or after January 01, 2020—in ESEF. By embedding the LEI into the document, GLEIF showcased how issuers can meet the mandatory requirements of the ESEF. Additionally, by embedding the LEI into the electronic signatures of the signing officers, GLEIF demonstrated, through a Proof of Concept, how simple it is to incorporate an additional best practice step that could generate end-user trust in the authenticity and integrity of the documents. Significant advantages of this approach to financial market participants include:
- Easy verification of the filing entity’s identity based on its LEI, resulting in greater end-user trust in the authenticity and integrity of the documents
- Automated access to aggregated data on the filing entity, which will create multiple benefits—namely, enhanced visibility of the entity’s reference data available within the Global LEI Index; opportunities to create new online databases that collate key data assets of entities with an LEI; and easy aggregation of information on companies obtained from multiple sources supporting comparability of standardized financial information
- Increased transparency for end-users on an entity’s ownership structure. Relationship networks between LEIs can be quickly and automatically established when the LEIs of the filing entity, its affiliates, subsidiaries, and parent companies are provided in machine-readable financial reports
- Improved ability for regulators to minimize market abuse
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Keywords: International, Banking, Insurance, Securities, LEI, Machine Readable Report, Data Quality Report, ESEF Regulation, Reporting, GLEIF, ESMA
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