Valoren numbers are like Social Security numbers for financial instruments in Switzerland, somewhere between 6 and 9 digits long.
Valoren numbers are given out by SIX Financial Information, the head honcho of securities numbering in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Belgium. SIX Financial Information is a subsidiary of SIX Group, a financial data agency based in Switzerland with data on more than 20 million financial instruments, and offices in two dozen countries. Casual.
The U.S. and Canada have a version of this too, called CUSIP numbers, as do other countries, like Germany and their WKN.
Valoren numbers don’t discriminate based on the type of financial instrument; the number itself has no meaning. It’s just a random ID number used for security of financial transactions. Fun fact: Social Security numbers used to have some number-meaning, but were randomized in 2011, because of fraudsters.
