International Standards

General Provisions

The Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) is authorized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to support, develop, and promote the international standards ISO 6166 and ISO 10962.

ISO 6166 (Securities and related financial instruments – International securities identification numbering system (ISIN)) describes the method of allocation of ISIN codes to financial instruments.

ISO 10962 (Securities and related financial instruments — Classification of financial instruments (CFI code)) describes the method of allocation of CFI codes to financial instruments.

Currently, there are two editions of ISO 10962 in force: the edition of 2001 (ISO 10962: 2001) and the edition of 2015 (ISO 10962: 2015). In 2017, most national numbering agencies started allocating CFI codes in accordance with ISO 10962:2015. ISO 10962:2001 will continue to be in effect until all national numbering agencies switch to ISO 10962:2015.

As compared to the edition of 2001, ISO 10962:2015 contains a more detailed list of financial instruments, which allows to use CFI codes to unambiguously classify a wider range of financial instruments, including those traded in the derivatives market. Some financial instruments have been classified into separate categories (e.g., collective investment vehicles which used to be classified as equities); the method of classification of depositary receipts has changed; and certain alphabetical characters and the method of generation of CFI codes for other financial instrument categories have been updated.

The current versions of ISO 6166 and ISO 10962 can be purchased from Interstandard which, as instructed by the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology of Russia, entered into a license agreement with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to distribute ISO standards in the Russian Federation and CIS countries and to translate ISO standards into Russian.

Standards' Requirements to Numbering Agencies and Codes

The international standards ISO 6166 and ISO 10962 describing the methods of allocation of ISINs and CFIs, respectively, and ANNA's regulations set out numbering agencies' competence and responsibilities to allocate ISINs and CFIs.

ISO 6166 (clauses 5.1 and 5.2) describes how a numbering agency responsible for the allocation of an ISIN to a financial instrument is to be chosen.

5.1. Countries where a numbering agency exists. For countries where a numbering agency exists, the responsible agency shall allocate the ISIN following the principles of clause 4 of ISO 6166 and in accordance with the competence described in annex B of the standard.
5.2. Countries where no numbering agency exists. For countries where no national numbering agency exists, the designated substitute agency shall allocate an ISIN. An ISIN allocated by a substitute agency shall be prefixed in accordance with clause 4 of ISO 6166.

ISO 10962:2001 (clauses 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3) describes how a numbering agency responsible for the allocation of a CFI code to a financial instrument is to be chosen.

5.1. CFI code allocation. The CFI code shall be allocated by the agency responsible for the allocation of the ISIN (International Security Identification Number) as defined in ISO 6166 ("CFI agency").
5.2. Countries where a CFI agency exists. For countries where a CFI agency exists, the responsible agency shall allocate the CFI code following the principles of clause 3 of ISO 10962:2001 and the competence described in annex B of ISO 6166. Where an agency exists, but refuses to allocate the CFI code for the financial instrument, the designated substitute agency shall allocate the CFI code.
5.3. Countries where no CFI agency exists. For countries where no CFI agency exists, the designated substitute agency shall allocate the CFI code.

A national numbering agency that has switched to allocating CFI codes in accordance with ISO 10962:2015 is obliged to re-code, in accordance with the new standard, all traded financial instruments with the CFI codes allocated in accordance with ISO 10962:2001. CFI codes for existing or new financial instruments that do not have a CFI code has to be allocated by that agency in accordance with ISO 10962:2015.

ANNA's applicable regulations set out the responsibility of numbering agencies to send information on international codes allocated to financial instruments to the ANNA Service Bureau Database*:

All ANNA members acting as numbering agencies are required to send, on a daily basis (including public holidays and weekends), a report to the ANNA Service Bureau Database, whether or not any changes were made during that day.
Information on the allocation or cancellation of a code or on any changes in information relating to the code must be sent on the date when such actions took place.

In accordance with ISO 6166 and ISO 10962 and ANNA's regulations, international codes allocated to financial instruments are official if they meet the following requirements:

The code is allocated by an ANNA member or partner and by a numbering agency responsible for the allocation of codes in accordance with the requirements set forth by the applicable clauses of ISO 6166 or ISO 10962;
Only the CFI code allocated to the financial instrument by the same numbering agency that allocated the ISIN to that financial instrument is considered an official CFI code;
Information about the codes is recorded in the ANNA Service Bureau Database*.

* ANNA Service Bureau Database is the global data hub containing information on all ISIN and CFI codes allocated to financial instruments by all numbering agencies being ANNA members or partners responsible for the allocation of international codes in their respective countries or in countries in which they act as substitute numbering agency.