VALOR Numbers

The VALOR number is a code which uniquely identifies listed securities and financial instruments

Financial instruments

A financial instrument is a tradable asset of any kind, either cash; evidence of an ownership interest in an entity; or a contractual right to receive, or deliver, cash or another financial instrument....

 used in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and serve a similar purpose to CUSIP

CUSIP

The acronym CUSIP historically refers to the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, which was founded in 1964, during the paper crunch in Wall Street. This 9-character alphanumeric code identifies any North American security for the purposes of facilitating clearing and settlement...

 or WKN

WKN

WKN may denote to:*World Kickboxing Network, an international kickboxing sports body known as WKN*Wertpapierkennummer, a German securities identification code, also known as WKN, WPKN, WPK or simply Wert...

 in the North American or German markets respectively.

Allocation Methodology

The VALOR number is a numeric code that intrinsically has no meaning. When a new VALOR is needed, the next one from the list is simply allocated. An instrument's number indicates nothing about the instrument itself.

The VALOR number is incorporated in the Swiss ISIN number.

Uses

The VALOR number can be used for a number of purposes in identifying a financial instrument:

• Globally a VALOR number is allocated for any type of financial instrument which meets the allocation rules. . It can be used in conjunction with the MIC
  ISO 10383
  ISO 10383 is an ISO standard which "specifies a universal method of identifying exchanges, trading platforms and regulated or non-regulated markets as sources of prices and related information in order to facilitate automated processing." The codes defined by the standard are known as Market...
  
   and the Currency Code
  ISO 4217
  ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
  
   to uniquely identify a traded instrument. It can be used in transaction reporting and for position keeping.

• In Switzerland
  Switzerland
  Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
  
   and Liechtenstein
  Liechtenstein
  The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
  
   the VALOR number is the main identifer in the Swiss Value Chain and is used as the main identifier by financial institutions throughout the region and beyond.

• Valorens for derivatives may be reused after the derivative expires

Etymology

The word Valor is a Swiss German banking term for a "security", including coins and paper money. In Switzerland, when referring to the code, it is always referred to as the "VALOR Nummer" i.e. security number. The plural of VALOR in Swiss German is Valoren.

In the English speaking world, the words "VALOR" and "VALOREN" are sometimes used interchangeably.

Issuing Authority

The VALOR number is issued by

See also

• International Securities Identifying Number (ISIN)
• ISO 10383
  ISO 10383
  ISO 10383 is an ISO standard which "specifies a universal method of identifying exchanges, trading platforms and regulated or non-regulated markets as sources of prices and related information in order to facilitate automated processing." The codes defined by the standard are known as Market...
  
  
• ISO 10962
  ISO 10962
  ISO 10962 is the CFI code maintained by the International Organization for Standardization . It is an alphabetical code consisting of 6 letters. The first letter is the category, the second is the group, and the remaining letters show special attributes of the group...
  
  
• ISO 6166
  ISO 6166
  ISO 6166 defines the structure of an International Securities Identifying Number . An ISIN uniquely identifies a fungible security. Securities with which ISINs can be used are Equities, Fixed income & ETF's only....
  
  
• NSIN
  NSIN
  A National Securities Identifying Number or NSIN is a generic nine-digit alpha numeric code which identifies a fungible security. The NSIN is issued by a national numbering agency designated for that country. Regional substitute NNAs have been allocated the task of functioning as NNAs in those...
  
  
• Ticker symbol
  Ticker symbol
  A stock symbol or ticker symbol is a short abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded shares of a particular stock on a particular stock market. A stock symbol may consist of letters, numbers or a combination of both. "Ticker symbol" refers to the symbols that were printed on the ticker...
  
  
• Option symbol
  Option symbol
  An option symbol is a code by which options are identified on a futures exchange.-:This article is obsolete, as of February 12th, 2010 when the five-character ticker format described in this article stopped being used in the US and Canada.New standard is now fully in place, as in the first few...
  
  
• SEDOL
  SEDOL
  SEDOL stands for Stock Exchange Daily Official List, a list of security identifiers used in the United Kingdom and Ireland for clearing purposes. The numbers are assigned by the London Stock Exchange, on request by the security issuer...