International Securities Identification Number - ISIN

An International Securities Identification Number, or ISIN, is like a Social Security number for…well…securities. All internationally-traded securities should have their own unique 12-digit identifier; Microsoft’s ISIN, for example, is US5949181045. Facebook’s is US30303M1027.

We say “should” because, while ISINs aren’t absolutely 100% required, they’re a really good idea and are considered the international standard to follow. They’re helpful because they can tell us a little something about a particular security right off the bat. You’ll notice that Microsoft and Facebook’s ISINs both begin with “US.” Any guesses as to why that is? Yep...they’re both U.S.-based companies. Securities from other countries have different letters at the start of their ISINs. Australia-based securities, for example, begin with “AU.”

So...what’s the point? Well, like our own Social Security numbers, ISINs can help protect against fraud and other unlawful and shady uses. Also, if we’re looking at two securities and can’t tell which is which just based on the name, looking at their ISINs can clear up the confusion for us. How ISINs are created and used is defined by ISO 6616 (that’s an international standard), but it’s up to each country to actually come up with and assign ISINs to their own securities.