Business Identity
10.1 How AI Agents Verify Your Business Identity
When verifying merchant identity, AI agents do not rely on your self-description. Instead, they query third-party public data sources:
| Data Source | What It Verifies | Dimension Impact |
|---|
| GLEIF | Legal entity registration and LEI number | V + G |
| Wikidata | Company entity page in Wikipedia’s structured database | V |
| Finnhub | Publicly traded company stock information | V + G |
| SEC EDGAR | US public company filing records | G |
| WHOIS | Domain registration information (registration date, registrant, etc.) | V |
| SSL Certificate | Certificate type and issuing authority | V |
10.2 LEI Registration
What Is LEI
LEI (Legal Entity Identifier) is a 20-character code managed by GLEIF — a globally unified “identity number” for business entities. Any legal entity engaged in financial transactions can register for one.
Format: 5493 00SH 3ADV MTMT 1D35 (20 alphanumeric characters)
Why Register for an LEI
- V dimension: LEI verification directly boosts identity verification scores
- G dimension: LEI is one of the most important signals in the governance dimension
- Globally recognized: AI agents in any country can verify your business identity through GLEIF
- Low cost: Annual fees are approximately $60-100
Registration Steps
- Visit gleif.org to find an LEI issuing organization in your country or region
- Prepare business registration documents (certificate of incorporation, etc.)
- Submit the application online; issuance typically takes 3-5 business days
- Once issued, your business information appears in the GLEIF global database
Recommended LEI issuing organizations:
- Bloomberg Finance L.P.
- GMEI Utility (global registration)
- Local financial data agencies in your jurisdiction
Post-Registration Verification
After registration is complete, search for your company name or LEI number on search.gleif.org to confirm the information is correct.
10.3 Domain Credibility
Domain Age
The longer a domain has been registered, the higher its credibility. Newly registered domains (under one year old) receive a slight penalty in the V dimension. This is because fraudulent websites typically use freshly registered disposable domains.
Recommendation: If you own multiple domains, use the one with the longest registration history as your primary domain.
The more complete your domain’s WHOIS information is, the higher the V dimension score. Using WHOIS privacy protection services does not result in a penalty, but fully visible registrant information earns an additional bonus.
SSL Certificate Type
| Certificate Type | Validation Level | AI Assessment Bonus |
|---|
| DV (Domain Validation) | Verifies domain ownership only | Baseline |
| OV (Organization Validation) | Verifies organizational authenticity | Moderate bonus |
| EV (Extended Validation) | Most rigorous organizational verification | Highest bonus |
10.4 Wikidata Entity
What Is Wikidata
Wikidata is Wikipedia’s structured database. Most companies and brands with a Wikipedia article also have a corresponding Wikidata entity.
Why Wikidata Matters
The OTR system searches Wikidata for your company. If a matching entity is found, the V dimension receives a significant score boost.
How to Obtain a Wikidata Entity
- Your company must first have a Wikipedia article — This requires meeting Wikipedia’s “notability” criteria (e.g., coverage by reliable, independent media sources)
- A Wikipedia article automatically generates a Wikidata entity — No separate creation is needed
- Ensure the entity information is complete — Including the official website URL (P856 property), industry classification, and other key fields
Do not create Wikipedia articles that fail to meet notability standards solely to improve AI trust scores. This violates Wikipedia’s policies and such articles will be deleted. Only companies that genuinely meet notability criteria should pursue this channel.
10.5 Additional Verification for Publicly Traded Companies
If you are a publicly traded company, the OTR system cross-verifies through the following channels:
- Finnhub API — Verifies stock ticker and exchange
- SEC EDGAR — Verifies US public company filing records
- Geographic consistency — Checks alignment between the company’s registered location and stock exchange region
Ensure your domain can be correctly associated with the publicly traded company entity. A common issue: companies use a sub-brand domain that is not directly linked to the parent company’s listing information.
10.6 Recommendations by Merchant Size
| Merchant Size | Recommended Actions | Expected Impact |
|---|
| Solo / Micro | SSL (DV) + complete WHOIS + domain older than 1 year | V dimension baseline score |
| Small to Medium | + LEI registration + OV certificate | Moderate V + G improvement |
| Large Enterprise | + Wikidata entity + EV certificate + Finnhub verification | Significant V + G improvement |
| Publicly Traded | + SEC filing verification + geographic consistency | Maximum V + G scores |
Next chapter: AI Trust Score as an AI-SEO Metric — Measuring AI-SEO effectiveness with trust scores
