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Regulation Spotlight

The People’s Bank of China

Learn how the People’s Bank of China advances financial transparency and cross-border oversight through LEI adoption, and how the identifier supports risk management and regulatory reporting across China’s banking sector.

Overview

Learn how the People’s Bank of China advances financial transparency and cross-border oversight through LEI adoption, and how the identifier supports risk management and regulatory reporting across China’s banking sector.

Objectives and scope

PBoC encourages financial institutions and corporates to use LEIs in cross-border payments, trade finance, and securities activities. The goal is to strengthen AML/CFT supervision and improve data consistency between domestic and international regulatory systems. In 2023, the PBoC, alongside the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), published guidance promoting LEI use in cross-border payments and credit information systems. This aligns China with the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) and FATF’s recommendations for LEI integration.

Why organisation identity matters

In global trade and finance, counterparties often operate across multiple jurisdictions with inconsistent naming conventions. The LEI enables accurate matching and verification of Chinese and foreign entities in transaction monitoring, reducing risks related to misidentification or fraud.

Implementation insight

Chinese financial institutions can:

Request

Require LEIs from overseas counterparties in RMB cross-border transactions

Include

2. Incorporate LEIs into SWIFT and ISO 20022 messages.

Relationships

Coordinate with global LEI Issuers to maintain accuracy.

Relationships

Coordinate with global LEI Issuers to maintain accuracy.

RapidLEI support and next steps
RapidLEI collaborates with accredited Chinese LOUs to streamline LEI issuance for domestic and international market participants. Automated API enables seamless integration for financial institutions involved in trade and cross-border payments.

350k LEIs issued to date! Accredited by the GLEIF since 2018