Wertpapierkennnummer
The Securities Identification Number (WKN, sporadically WPKN or WPK abbreviated ) is a six -digit number used in Germany and letter combination ( National Securities Identifying Number) for the identification of securities ( financial instruments).
Publisher
The publishers Community securities releases, Keppler, Lehmann GmbH & Co. KG (WM Data Service ) is the responsible entity (official numbering agency ) for the award of the WKN / ISIN in Germany and a member of the Association of National Numbering Agencies ( ANNA ). Here issuers of financial instruments or their Agents can apply for a security identification number and / or ISIN, among other things, is also a prerequisite for the admission of its shares to trading.
Each traded on a German exchange security has a SIN and an associated ISIN. In addition, there are also a number of unlisted securities, but also have a SIN and an associated ISIN. An example is the WKN 520550 (ISIN DE0005205504 ), the ( " Shareholders " by Bernd Foertsch publisher of the magazine ) is part of the shares of unlisted stock market Medien AG.
Numbering in other countries
Austria
In Austria no national securities identification numbers be assigned since 22 April 2003. The Austrian Control Bank AG (OeKB ) shares in its capacity as the national authority for Austria financial instruments as the primary identification feature an International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) to. This is possible the unambiguous identification of a financial instrument worldwide. An ISIN consists of a prefix, the base number and check digit.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, a national numbering for securities is also used security number, or short Valor. The Valor is currently a maximum of eight -digit number that is different from the WKN and ISIN only numbers and is continuous. The ISIN then consists of the initials " CH ", closely followed by (possibly from left padded with zeros ) the security number and then the ISIN check digit.
The number is issued in Switzerland by Telekurs Financial.
America
In the United States, Canada and other countries, the CUSIP number is the national security identification number and included in the ISIN. For details see the article on ISIN.
History and procurement rules
The securities identification number was introduced in 1955. Originally WKNs were divided into two so-called number ranges. You could WKN view directly whether they referred to an annuity ( WKNs 100000-499999 ) or for a share or an " equity-like title " - for example, an equity fund - is ( WKNs 500000-999999 ). This scheme was abolished in March 2000.
On 22 April 2003, the WKN was officially by the twelve-digit ISIN ( International Securities Identification Number) replaced in order to identify and international securities unambiguously. For practical and technical reasons, the WKN but is used in parallel. In a new registration of a security in Germany today (2007) both WKN and ISIN one will be awarded. Generally, there are at any ISIN most a German WKN.
On 21 July 2003 alphanumeric WKNs were admitted (capital letters only, without " O " and "I " to avoid confusion with the numbers 0 and 1). Before, the WKN only numbers. Since 19 January 2004 the WKN contain an abbreviation of the security issuer. The issuer shortcuts are then the first 2-4 letters, completed by a digit.
WM- data service has made the following rules: If the first and second digit of the WKN contains letters, it is an issuer WKN (see examples in the table). From the third point then numbers or letters follow. Alphanumeric WKN however, that are not issuer - WKN, begin with a letter (either an A or an F for normal securities for futures); Second place is for a digit. For example A0A000 was the first ever awarded alphanumeric WKN ( bond of Rhineland Funding Capital Corp., due 2004). Depending on the sort can also be regarded as the first A0AAAA alphanumeric WKN; this is a 2005 ruined Spain bond.
Alphanumeric WKN series A0xxxx were awarded from July 2003 until about October 2009. Since then, the alphanumeric WKN begin A1xxxx (April 2013). In November 2013, the A1Zxxx series was complete; since alphanumeric WKN with a digit in third place ( A10xxx, A11xxx etc. ) have been awarded so far mainly for derivatives ( eg A10750 WKN ISIN CH0223836633 for, it is a call to the Twitter shares of Bank Vontobel ).
Such a series such as A0xxxx can about 1.3 million WKN included ( 24 letters plus 10 digits, high 4 ). From the specified time period ( 2300 days) we can estimate that an average of just under 600 WKN be reassigned per calendar (plus Issuer WKN).
So far, nearly 180 different issuer abbreviation for the WKN were used by AA0000 for products of ABN Amro Bank to ZDWT01 or ZDWT02 for (normal or disabled ) shares ZhongDe (April 2013). The latter is currently also the last valid WKN in the alphabet.
Exceptions to the Rules on Procurement
The WKN CBKTLR and CBKBZR (partial rights / warrants / shares tips of the capital reduction and subsequent capital of Commerzbank in April / May 2013 ISIN associated DE000CBKTLR7 and DE000CBKBZR5 ) are the only previous WKN, consisting solely of letters. All other WKN (including issuer WKN ), however, contain at least one digit.
The WKN H1111A (ISIN DE000H1111A6 ) is the only previously assigned Issuer ISIN, in which the abbreviation of the issuer has only one letter. It is a bond due 2007 of Bayer. Hypo-und Vereinsbank.