Bloomberg to Offer Mapping Service to BBGID

Bloomberg has launched a free service to help organizations map the new Bloomberg Global ID (BBGID) to other identifiers, according to a speaker at the Asia Pacific Financial Information Summit in Hong Kong in October.

BBGID is a 12-digit alphanumeric financial instrument identification code, which is free to use and distribute. Singapore-based Grace Lau at Bloomberg said firms can download the symbology from a website or send Bloomberg a file with securities they need BBGID identifiers for.

“Clients can also submit customized, self-defined data files, and we will return the associated BBGID,” she said. Firms can send Bloomberg a file with any security identifier, and the vendor will map the identifiers to the BBGID.

The BBGID can also be used by other vendors or non-Bloomberg clients. “Data files will be open to all market participants,” Lau said, adding that there are no licensing fees or restrictions. “We plan to give it away for free—not just now, but always,” she said.

The identifier, based on a unique random sequence, covers all asset classes, including loans, futures and options. The website enables users to download pre-defined files, sorted by asset classes, and the entire universe can be downloaded. When doing a keyword search on the website, users can download up to 5,000 identifiers.

Once a BBGID has been allocated to a security, it will remain the same throughout the life of that security. “BBGID will not change due to a corporate action,” said Lau.