GLEIF - Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation

The vLEI (verifiable Legal Entity Identifier) is a digital credential system developed by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) that extends the existing Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system to enable automated authentication and verification of legal entities. Launched in 2022, it implements Self-Sovereign Identity principles using the W3C Verifiable Credentials and W3C DID standards.

The technical architecture leverages several key protocols and specifications:

• The did:keri DID method based on the KERI (Key Event Receipt Infrastructure) protocol for decentralized key management
• The Authentic Chained Data Containers (ACDC) specification for credential format and chaining
• The Trust over IP ACDC specification for credential governance
• Chain-link Confidentiality mechanisms for privacy-preserving disclosure

Notable implementations and adoption include:

• GLEIF using vLEI credentials for their 2021 annual report signing
• Provenant becoming the first qualified vLEI issuer in 2022
• Integration with business telecoms for automated verification of corporate caller IDs
• The ISO standardizing vLEI as a technical standard in 2024

The system enables organizations to create verifiable digital credentials containing their legal entity information, authorized representatives and roles. The credentials can be cryptographically bound to official documents and transactions while maintaining privacy through selective disclosure mechanisms. The vLEI infrastructure is designed to be blockchain-agnostic and support both distributed ledger and cloud deployments through the KERI protocol's portability features.