FIGI, the Financial Instrument Global Identifier, is a 12-character code that identifies a financial instrument. It is an open standard managed by the Object Management Group, with Bloomberg as registration authority, and it exists at three levels: one listing, a country composite and a global share class.
The three levels
| Level | Identifies | Use |
|---|---|---|
| FIGI | One listing on one venue | Match a price line |
| Composite FIGI | The listings of one instrument within a country | Take a national view |
| Share-class FIGI | One share class across every country | Roll listings up |
Structure and use
A FIGI has two letters naming the certified provider, a G, eight characters that are never vowels and a check digit. Once assigned it does not change. OpenFIGI offers a free mapping service that converts tickers, ISINs, CUSIPs, SEDOLs and other codes to FIGIs, with a lower rate limit for requests that carry no API key.
curl -X POST https://api.openfigi.com/v3/mapping \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '[{"idType":"ID_ISIN","idValue":"US0378331005"}]'The call returns the listings of that security. Each has its own FIGI, and carries the composite FIGI and the share-class FIGI it belongs to.
A FIGI separates what an ISIN cannot. One ISIN is shared by every listing of a security, while each listing has its own FIGI, so the FIGI says which line you trade or price. Use the ISIN to name the security and the listing-level FIGI to name the line.
In Fokals data
The company index carries a FIGI on every listed company: one record per equity listing, with the share-class FIGI shared by every listing of one share class. In the other datasets the FIGI delivered is the share-class FIGI, so it joins to a share-class key and rolls every listing of a company up to one line.
A listing-level FIGI names the line you trade, and the share-class FIGI names the security across countries, so one delivery supports both a price join and a company roll-up. The data dictionary defines both fields, and identifiers that make company data joinable shows how they fit with the others.
Related terms
- ISIN: the code of the security, shared by its listings.
- LEI: the code of the issuing legal entity.
- Market identifier code (MIC): the code of the venue a listing trades on.
- Security master: the table that holds all of them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a FIGI and an ISIN?
An ISIN identifies a security and is shared by all of its listings. A FIGI identifies each listing separately, by venue, and also has composite and share-class levels above it. Use an ISIN to name the security and a listing-level FIGI to name the exact line you trade or price.
Is FIGI free to use?
Yes. FIGI is an open standard whose codes are free to use, reuse and redistribute, and the OpenFIGI mapping service is free, with a lower rate limit for requests without an API key. Check the terms of any dataset that carries FIGIs for what you may do with the rest of its content.
What is a share-class FIGI?
A share-class FIGI is the FIGI shared by every listing of one share class of a company, in every country. It lets you add up the trading lines of one security without adding up different securities. A company's ordinary shares and a second class of its shares have different share-class FIGIs.
The queries and code on this page are examples to adapt. Test them in your own environment before you rely on them.