Finance & Accounting · GLEIF API + Claude
GLEIF API MCP with Claude: Faster Counterparty Checks Using LEI Data
The short answer
Claude connects to the GLEIF API through the Model Context Protocol, an open standard that lets Claude use outside software with permissions you control. Once connected, Claude can search LEI records, retrieve standardised entity details, explore ownership relationships and map external identifiers, all from a natural language request.
What is GLEIF API?
GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation, provides free public access to Legal Entity Identifier records and related reference data. An LEI is a unique 20-character code that identifies a legal entity taking part in financial transactions. The GLEIF API gives standardised data on entities, their parent relationships and the identifiers linked to them. Finance teams, compliance officers, procurement staff and risk analysts typically use it to confirm who they are dealing with.
How Claude connects to GLEIF API through MCP
The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is an open standard that lets Claude securely use other software. Think of it as a universal adapter between Claude and the tool. For GLEIF, it means Claude can look up public entity records without you copying data between screens.
Once connected, Claude can read LEI records, retrieve entity names, registration status and addresses, follow ownership relationships between parent and child entities, and match external identifiers to LEI codes. You ask in plain English, for example "find the parent company of this supplier", and Claude runs the lookup and summarises the result.
Access is controlled by your organisation. GLEIF's public data needs no sign-in, so we set the scope of what Claude may query and log every request. Where a result feeds a decision, such as onboarding a new counterparty, a person reviews it before any action is taken. You stay in charge throughout.
What you can automate
Counterparty onboarding checks
When procurement adds a new supplier or customer, Claude can look up its LEI, confirm the legal name and registration status, and flag mismatches with the details on the request form. Staff review the summary before the record is created, which reduces manual look-ups and typing errors.
Ownership mapping for due diligence
Risk and compliance teams often need to know who sits above a counterparty. Claude can trace parent relationships through GLEIF data and produce a clear ownership chain, which an analyst can then check and add to the file.
Identifier reconciliation
Finance teams frequently hold the same company under different codes across systems. Claude can map external identifiers to LEI records so that payables, receivables and vendor master data line up with one another.
Sanctions and KYC support
Know-your-customer teams can ask Claude to gather public entity details ahead of a screening review. Claude assembles the facts and points out gaps, while the compliance officer makes the final judgement and records it.
Portfolio and lending data checks
Analysts reviewing loan books or investment holdings can check that LEIs attached to borrowers or issuers are current and correctly named, helping keep reporting consistent.
An end-to-end workflow: Supplier onboarding with LEI verification
TriggerA new supplier request is submitted in the ERP or procurement system.
Claude reads the supplier name, country and any LEI supplied on the request form.
Claude searches GLEIF for matching LEI records and retrieves the registered legal name, status and address.
Claude compares the public record with the details in the request and lists any differences.
Claude checks the parent entity and notes whether it matches an existing approved group.
The summary is posted to a ticket in the ticketing system for the procurement and compliance reviewers.
A reviewer approves or rejects the supplier, and the outcome is written back to the ERP.
OutcomeOnboarding checks that once took a team member considerable time per supplier can typically be completed faster, with a consistent record kept for audit.
How we set it up
Free automation audit
We review your onboarding, reconciliation and due diligence processes to find where LEI checks would save the most time. The audit is free and carries no obligation.
Connect Claude to GLEIF
We connect Claude to GLEIF through its MCP server or the direct API. GLEIF public data requires no sign-in, so the connection is set up with defined query limits and logging.
Design the end-to-end workflow
We link GLEIF lookups to your ERP, CRM, Microsoft 365 or ticketing tools, and set which steps need human approval before any record changes.
Test against real cases
We run the workflow against past supplier and counterparty records to check accuracy, edge cases such as name variations, and how mismatches are reported.
Launch, monitor and train
We go live with monitoring and audit logs, then train your finance, procurement and compliance teams on how to use and review the results.
Who benefits
- Procurement managers
- Faster, more consistent supplier checks with fewer manual look-ups.
- Compliance and KYC officers
- Clear, sourced entity summaries and ownership chains to support their own review.
- Finance controllers
- Cleaner vendor and counterparty master data with fewer mismatched identifiers.
- Risk analysts
- Quicker access to parent relationships when assessing exposure to a group.
Security and control
- Claude is limited to read-only access to public GLEIF data unless you approve other actions.
- Consequential decisions, such as approving a supplier, are reviewed and signed off by a person.
- Every query and result is logged so that checks can be audited later.
- Claude's answers cite the GLEIF record they came from, so reviewers can verify each point.
- The scope of queries is set by your team and reviewed regularly.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can use this workflow alongside their own sanctions, AML and vendor-management obligations. In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 governs personal data handled in these checks, and any personal information is minimised accordingly. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, local data protection laws apply, and we choose the hosting region for custom builds to meet the requirements of each organisation.
Learn more about Claude and MCP
Anthropic's AI model and assistant.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
How engineers build and change software with Claude.
Hosted agents that run multi-step work.
The open standard Claude uses to connect to tools.
Frequently asked questions
What does the GLEIF API MCP server do?
The GLEIF MCP server lets Claude and other AI tools query GLEIF's public LEI records in a standard way. It can search for entities, retrieve their details, explore ownership relationships and map external identifiers. It acts as a secure connector, so the AI works through defined requests rather than through unrestricted access.
Is it secure to connect Claude to GLEIF?
GLEIF data is public and needs no sign-in, so the main security concern is controlling what the AI can do. We limit access to read-only queries, log every request, and require human approval for any action that changes a business record. Your team sets these rules before launch.
What can Claude do with the GLEIF API once connected?
Claude can search for legal entities by name or code, retrieve registered details and status, trace parent and child relationships, and match external identifiers to LEI codes. You request these in plain English, and Claude returns a summary with the underlying record referenced.
How long does setup take?
Setup time depends on how many systems the workflow touches. A focused connection to GLEIF can often be built and tested quickly, while a workflow linking GLEIF to an ERP, ticketing and approval process takes longer. The free automation audit gives you a realistic timeline for your case.
What plan or permissions are needed?
GLEIF's public API is available without sign-in, so no special paid plan is needed to read LEI data. Your organisation needs permission to set up the connection and to define the scope of queries Claude may run. We confirm these requirements during the audit.