What is an ISIN in Stock Market?

International Securities Identification Numbering (ISIN) system, uniquely identifies a security. The ISIN is an international standard formed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), for the purpose of numbering specific securities.

The ISIN number is administered by the corresponding National Numbering Agency present in the respective country. A typical ISIN code consists of 12 alphanumeric characters. The first two are assigned by the country of origin and by the head office of the issuing company respectively. The 9 characters between the first and the last, are utilized for unique identification of the security. The last digit acts as a check digit to prevent errors and ensure authenticity of the code.