The Wertpapierkennnummer (WKN, WPKN, WPK or Wert), is a German securities identification code. It is composed of six digits or capital letters (excluding I and O), and no check digit.

Changes in format

There have been several changes in the WKN definition:

  • WKN were switched from numeric to alphanumeric on 21 July 2003[1]
  • The first 2–4 Letters may show the issuer of the Instrument.[2][3]
  • Until March 2000, the WKNs were divided into different number ranges that represented different types of securities (e.g., stocks, warrants, funds, etc.)[4].

The WKNs and DE-ISINs are provided by WM-Datenservice.

WKNs may be obsolete in future, since they may be replaced by International Securities Identification Numbers (ISINs).

Spelling and meaning

Like most very long German words, Wertpapierkennnummer is a compound word: Wert-Papier-Kenn-Nummer, if translated literally, means value–paper–identification–number (Wertpapier = financial security; Kennnummer = identification number).

Before the German spelling reform of 1996 the correct spelling was Wertpapierkennummer with only two consecutive n’s, since the orthography rules allowed the same consonant three times in a row only under special circumstances. Since the reform, the spelling has been Wertpapierkennnummer with three consecutive n’s.

See also

References

  1. ↑ signup required
  2. ↑ signup required
  3. ↑ Struktur und Aufbau der deutschen Wertpapier-Kenn-Nummer (WKN) (PDF), WM-Datenservice, 2012
  4. ↑ Körbitzer, K.-P. (27 January 2000), Allgemeine Kundeninformation 2000/02: Reorganisation der deutschen WKN-Systematik (PDF), WM-Datenservice
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