LEI and GODIN: Your LEI Code Opens More and More Doors

What Is GODIN?

GODIN (Global Open Data Integration Network, a global collaboration network for connecting open data) is an initiative led by GLEIF (Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation, the foundation that manages the global LEI system). GLEIF and Open Ownership, a non-profit organisation focused on beneficial ownership transparency, launched GODIN in March 2025. The goal of the network is simple. The world holds many valuable open data sets. However, they remain fragmented across platforms, countries, and standards. GODIN connects these data sets with one common key. That key is the LEI code (Legal Entity Identifier, the global identification code for legal entities). Every company has only one unique LEI code. Consequently, when that code appears in every data set, information can be linked reliably. Business registers, supply chain maps, sustainability data, beneficial ownership records, and other sources start talking to each other. In short, that is exactly what GODIN does.

What Changed in July 2026?

On 16 July 2026, GLEIF announced that three new members had joined the network: Open Supply Hub, Wikimedia Deutschland, and Wikirate International. As a result, GODIN's membership grew to eleven organisations. Most importantly, the new members extend the network's reach far beyond financial services:

• Open Supply Hub runs the world's largest open supply chain map, covering more than 2.5 million production locations worldwide.
• Wikimedia Deutschland develops Wikidata, the central source of structured data behind Wikipedia and thousands of other applications.
• Wikirate International collects open data on corporate sustainability performance.

Besides the new arrivals, the network includes these earlier members alongside GLEIF, which leads it:

• Open Ownership promotes beneficial ownership transparency and develops BODS (Beneficial Ownership Data Standard, an open standard for beneficial ownership data).
• OpenSanctions consolidates international sanctions lists into one open database.
• Global Energy Monitor maps the world's energy infrastructure and energy asset ownership.
• Anti-Corruption Data Collective brings together journalists, researchers, and data analysts to expose cross-border corruption.
• Global Media Registry maps the ownership structures of media companies worldwide.
• Open Data Services develops open data standards and tools.
• Data and Research Center (DARC) develops OpenAleph, an open data platform for investigative journalism.

Above all, the Wikidata connection deserves special attention. In fact, search engines and artificial intelligence systems rely on Wikidata. As the LEI code becomes more deeply embedded in Wikidata entries, a company's official identity becomes visible in the very places where AI systems compose their answers. We covered how the LEI supports trust in the age of artificial intelligence in our article on the LEI code and AI.

How Does GODIN Work in Practice?

see a similar cross-border open finance initiative as well.

GODIN is not just a declaration. On the contrary, the network has already published concrete results and showcase projects. The first completed result is the mapping between the LEI and the GEM Entity ID. In June 2026, GLEIF and Global Energy Monitor completed the first certified mapping that links energy asset owners to their LEI codes. Moreover, anyone can download the file free of charge from GLEIF and trace the ownership structures of energy assets worldwide. In addition, the network presents showcase projects that demonstrate what LEI-based data linking makes possible:

• OpenCheck is a demonstration tool for due diligence checks. For example, you enter a company's LEI code, and the tool builds a report by combining data from sources including Companies House, GLEIF, OpenSanctions, OpenCorporates, and Wikidata.
• Transparency Fabric 2.0 is a showcase project that uses large language models to identify relationships between companies from annual reports. The LEI code sits at the core of this network.
• Open-source Jupyter notebooks teach data users how to apply LEI data in practice.

However, precision matters here: OpenCheck and Transparency Fabric 2.0 are showcase projects, not finished commercial services. Instead, they show the direction the open data ecosystem is heading.

What Does This Mean for Your Company?

GODIN creates no new obligations for companies. It does, however, make a valid LEI code steadily more valuable. Think of the LEI code as a key. Until now, this key has mainly opened doors in the financial world: securities transactions, reporting, bank due diligence, and more. GODIN adds new doors to the same key. As a result, the same code now links your company to supply chain maps, sustainability data, open knowledge bases, and sanctions screening sources. In practice, this means three things:

1. Your company becomes easier to trust. When a partner, a bank, or a software system checks your background, the LEI code leads them straight to the right data. Confusion between similar business names disappears.
2. Your data stays consistent. Likewise, when the business register entry, the sanctions check, and the supply chain map all use the same identifier, conflicting versions of your company's identity cannot emerge.
3. Your visibility grows in AI systems too. Furthermore, the more open data sources use the LEI code, the more reliably artificial intelligence tools identify your company correctly.

GLEIF increasingly describes the LEI system as digital public infrastructure. Therefore, the LEI is no longer just a financial reporting requirement. It is a global foundation on which new services are built. We wrote about the broader role of business verification in our article on the LEI code and KYB.

A Valid LEI Is the Starting Point

You can register an LEI with LEI System.

All of this value works only if your LEI code is valid. An expired code is like a broken link. Consequently, data sets can no longer point reliably to your company's current information. We covered the consequences in our article on the risks of an expired LEI code. Fortunately, keeping your LEI code in order is simple:

• First, if your company does not yet have an LEI code, you can register one in minutes.
• If you already have one, keep it valid and renew it on time.
• Finally, you can always check the status of your code with our LEI search.

The world of open data is moving towards the LEI code. The sooner your company gets this key in order, the more doors it will open in the future.