FIGI validator
How the FIGI format works
- Format
- 12 characters: 2-character issuer prefix + 'G' + 8 alphanumeric characters + 1 check digit
- Example
- BBG000BLNQ16
Things to watch for
- The 3rd character is always 'G' by design, and the check digit (last character) is computed over the first 11 characters with digits and A-Z (mapped to 10-35) doubled at alternating positions before summing their decimal digits
- A FIGI identifies a specific financial instrument at a specific trading venue/composite level — it is vendor-neutral and openly licensed under the Object Management Group standard, unlike proprietary security identifiers
- Format and checksum only — it can't confirm the instrument is actually registered or currently trading; check the Bloomberg OpenFIGI database (or another OMG-recognized registration authority) for that
^[A-Z0-9]{2}G[A-Z0-9]{8}[0-9]$A FIGI (Financial Instrument Global Identifier) is a 12-character code that identifies a specific financial instrument — a stock, bond, option, or other security — at a specific trading venue or composite level. Unlike CUSIP, SEDOL, or ISIN, which are issued under licensed, proprietary schemes run by national or international numbering agencies, a FIGI is an open standard maintained by the Object Management Group and openly licensed for anyone to use, generate, or redistribute without paying a fee — which is why exchanges, data vendors, and open-source finance projects increasingly use it as a shared reference alongside, or instead of, those older codes.
How this validator works
This check confirms the code is 12 uppercase letters and digits with a ‘G’ fixed in the 3rd position by design, then recomputes the final check digit from the first 11 characters: each character converts to a numeric value (digits keep their value, letters A-Z map to 10-35), the value at every even position is doubled, and the decimal digits of every resulting value are summed; the check digit is whatever value brings that total to a multiple of ten. A mismatch here catches a mistyped or transposed character before it reaches a trade record or a data feed.
What a pass doesn’t tell you
A pass confirms the code is well-formed and internally consistent — nothing about whether that instrument was actually registered or is currently trading. For that, the Bloomberg-hosted OpenFIGI database, or another registration authority recognized by the Object Management Group, is the authoritative source, not a format check.
Content last reviewed 2026-08-09.
FIGI FAQ
How is a FIGI different from an ISIN or a CUSIP?
The biggest difference isn't the format, it's the licensing. An ISIN or CUSIP is issued and controlled by a national or international numbering agency under a proprietary scheme. A FIGI is an open standard maintained by the Object Management Group — anyone can generate, publish, or map against FIGIs without a licensing fee, which is why it's often described as the open alternative to those older, more restricted identifiers.
What's the significance of the 3rd character in a FIGI always being 'G'?
It's a fixed marker built into the standard, not something that varies by issuer or instrument. Every valid FIGI has 'G' in that exact position, so a code that doesn't fails the format check immediately — before the check-digit arithmetic over the other 11 characters even runs.
Can one financial instrument have more than one FIGI?
Yes, and that's by design. A FIGI can be assigned at different levels — a specific listing on one exchange, a composite across all the venues an instrument trades on, or a share-class level — so the same underlying instrument can legitimately have several distinct, all-valid FIGIs depending on which level you're referencing.