Last updated: May 21, 2026
To map who owns whom for a company, use the GLEIF Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) reference data. LiveDataLink exposes it two ways: resolve_entity returns the LEI plus the direct and ultimate parent and a subsidiary count, and corporate_ownership_tree returns the actual tree, climbing to the ultimate parent and walking down to the reported subsidiaries and one level of grand-subsidiaries. Give an AI agent those two tools and it can map a corporate family in one or two calls.
Company names are ambiguous, so pin the identity first. resolve_entity takes a name (with optional ticker, cik, ein, or state hints) and returns canonical IDs, including the GLEIF LEI with its ownership summary: the direct parent LEI, the ultimate parent LEI, and the reported subsidiary count.
{
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "resolve_entity",
"arguments": { "name": "Alphabet Inc", "ticker": "GOOGL" }
}
}That tells you the top of the tree and how many subsidiaries GLEIF has on file, but it does not list them. For the actual list, use the ownership tree.
corporate_ownership_tree takes a company name or a 20-character lei. It resolves the entity, climbs to the ultimate parent (the top of the ownership chain), then walks down from that root to the reported direct subsidiaries plus one level of grand-subsidiaries, each with its own LEI, jurisdiction, and status. The queried entity is marked in the tree so you can see where it sits.
{
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "corporate_ownership_tree",
"arguments": { "company": "JPMorgan" }
}
}If you already hold the LEI, anchor the tree directly and skip the name resolution:
{
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "corporate_ownership_tree",
"arguments": { "lei": "8I5DZWZKVSZI1NUHU748" }
}
}The tree is capped at about 25 nodes so a broad conglomerate stays bounded, with an "and N more" note wherever GLEIF reports additional subsidiaries.
GLEIF ownership is legal-entity ownership that a company self-reports to the Global LEI system, so coverage varies. Some groups report a full hierarchy, others report little. It maps corporate parents and subsidiaries, not the natural-person beneficial owners behind a private company, and it reflects only what has been filed with GLEIF. Treat it as a public-record map to verify against the primary source, not a complete or certified ownership record. A failing hierarchy hop is noted, not fatal, so the resolved root still stands even when a branch cannot be fetched.
Use resolve_entity when you need the join keys and a quick parent-and-count read to gate a workflow, and corporate_ownership_tree when you need the actual subsidiary list for M&A diligence, counterparty mapping, or rolling up a corporate family before you screen or score it. The data is keyless GLEIF reference data (CC0), so it is resale-safe by construction. See the full set of one-call decision tools at /decisions, the connection steps at /connect, and provenance at /trust.
resolve_entity returns the LEI plus the ultimate parent and a subsidiary count. corporate_ownership_tree returns the actual tree of who owns whom, the ultimate parent and the reported subsidiaries and grand-subsidiaries, each with LEI, jurisdiction, and status.
Yes. corporate_ownership_tree accepts a 20-character lei to anchor the tree directly, which skips name resolution and avoids ambiguity.
No. It maps legal-entity ownership that companies self-report to GLEIF, not the natural persons who ultimately own a private entity. Use it for corporate-family mapping, and confirm beneficial ownership through the appropriate registry for your jurisdiction.
Last updated: May 21, 2026 · LiveDataLink home