LEI for a charity

Data as of 13 November 2026 Source: GLEIF

A charity needs an LEI when it invests: as soon as its investment manager or broker buys or sells shares, bonds or ETFs in the charity’s name, the firm must have the charity’s LEI. The FCA names charities explicitly among the clients this applies to.

12,197 UK charities and charitable incorporated organisations hold an LEI and 21% of them are active.

  • 12,197Entities with an LEI
  • 21%Active LEIs
  • 277New in the last 12 months
  • 5.2%Share of the country’s LEIs

When an LEI is required

Charities with endowments or reserves managed on a discretionary basis are the typical case. A charity that keeps its money in bank deposits does not need an LEI.

How the charity is constituted decides what it is checked against. A charitable incorporated organisation (CIO or SCIO) is verified against the charity register. A charitable company is verified against Companies House. An unincorporated charitable trust or association is verified from its governing document and its charity registration.

Legal basis

  • Under UK MiFIR, an investment firm cannot execute a trade in shares, bonds, ETFs or other reportable instruments for a client that is eligible for an LEI and does not have one. The FCA names companies, charities and trusts among the clients this covers. FCA: UK MiFIR legal entity identifiers
  • The rule itself is short: a firm shall not provide a service that triggers a transaction report before it has the client’s LEI. RTS 22, Article 13(2), as kept in UK law
  • Under UK EMIR, both sides of a derivative contract are reported, so every UK counterparty to a derivative needs an LEI. FCA: UK EMIR reporting obligation
  • A private individual investing in their own name does not need an LEI and is identified by a national identifier instead. RTS 22, Article 6, as kept in UK law

What the application needs

Register
Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
Registration number
The registered charity number; a charitable company also has a Companies House number
Who can apply
A trustee or senior officer, or anyone the charity authorises with a signed letter of authorisation
Parent company
Usually none

How to apply

  1. Enter the name or registration number in the application form. Where the register is connected, the details are filled in for you.
  2. Check the name, registration number and address, and state whether a parent company consolidates the entity.
  3. Confirm that you may act for the entity, then pay. If a signed authorisation is needed, you sign it online.
  4. The details are checked against the register. Once they are confirmed, the LEI is issued and sent to you by email.

An entity can only have one LEI. Check whether it already has one

Apply for an LEI

In numbers

  • Active 2,555 (21%)
  • Lapsed 9,138 (75%)
  • Other 504 (4.1%)

First LEI registrations per year

YearLEIs
201526
201611
20178,148
20181,518
2019354
2020310
2021301
2022239
2023233
2024265
2025299
2026*239

* 2026 is counted up to 13 November 2026.

Registers these entities are recorded in

Registration authorityLEIs
Charity Commission for England and Wales9,786
Scottish Charity Register (Scottish Charity Regulator), Scotland1,832
Register of Charities (The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland)135
Companies Register (Companies House), England and Wales19
HM Revenue & Customs18
Other registers20
No register recorded387

UK LEI statistics

Frequently asked questions

Does every charity need an LEI?

No. Only a charity that trades financial instruments, directly or through an investment manager, needs one.

We invest only in a common investment fund. Do we need an LEI?

Ask the fund or your manager. The requirement applies to trades in reportable instruments made in the charity’s name, and firms differ in how they deal for charity clients.

Is the charity number enough for the application?

For a CIO or SCIO, yes. A charitable company applies with its Companies House number, and an unincorporated charity is also asked for its governing document.

Sources

Other entity types