What is Bloomberg FIGI?

The Financial Instrument Global Identifier (FIGI) is a 12-character, alphanumeric, randomly generated identifier issued under the guidelines of the Object Management Group (OMG.org). This system was established to provide a global standard to address the need of clients for a unique, non-changing symbol that could be used to link to a set of metadata describing the instrument. It covers hundreds of millions of active and inactive instruments, with over 300 trillion potential identifiers available.

Bloomberg FIGI was designed to bridge the gap in existing symbology systems by offering coverage across all global asset classes, real-time availability, and flexibility for use in multiple functions. It enables firms to tie together disparate and fragmented symbologies, eliminating redundant mapping processes, streamlining the trade workflow, and reducing operational risk. Additionally, FIGI also provides coverage for asset classes that do not usually have a global identifier, including loans, futures, and options.