ANNA Meets the Market 2019 | Association of National Numbering Agencies | 12 June 2019 | TBA, Frankfurt, Germany

After each new instrument is registered and issued an International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) and a Classification of Financial Instruments (CFI), the NNAs maintain the validity of the registration data. The NNAs are the primary sources of the codes and identification information in their local markets. As a group, they provide daily updates to the ANNA Service bureau, which maintains the consolidated global database.

The NNA’s method of registration, which depends on direct contact with the issuer or its agent, produces the only global securities identification code that is based on verified first-hand information. While the information collected and maintained by the NNAs has also been obtained and used by data vendors to create their proprietary identifiers, associated with data or software products, the underlying source of these commercial identifiers is the work of NNAs in global securities identification.

The National Numbering Agencies are divisions of larger entities, such as central banks, central securities depositories, data vendors, regulators and stock exchanges. Each of these agencies have been appointed by their national financial regulators to take on this role for the benefit of their national economy and to support the free flow of financial information and capital throughout global markets.

The NNAs operate under strict rules of the ISO agreements for the identifiers they issue. These include adhering to the format and content of the ISIN code and limiting their prices to simple cost recovery, despite the NNAs’ significant investments in operations and technology to meet the required standards of data integrity and industry service.

The people who head these agencies are national experts in financial data standards and how they apply to the operational lifecycles of investment instruments – buying and selling, clearing and settlement, recordkeeping, risk management, and regulatory reporting. Technically and legally, this is a complex world with constantly changing requirements.

Individually and as a group, the ANNA membership are not just charged with assigning identifiers, but also adapting their processes and systems on a regular basis to meet changing market needs. They also contribute their knowledge of local markets to the ISO working groups that update the identifier standards. as well as the ANNA working groups that support members in solving problems and achieving common goals.