D-U-N-S Number as an international business identifier: why Ukrainian companies need it

For Ukrainian companies entering international markets, attracting investors, working with foreign corporations or participating in tenders, it is important to establish a transparent and verified business profile in advance. One of the tools for such international verification is the D-U-N-S Number, assigned by the American company Dun & Bradstreet.

A D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit business identifier used to identify legal entities and their individual locations in international commercial databases. This number enables foreign partners, banks, investors, procurement platforms and large corporations to identify a company more quickly and verify its basic information.

“For Ukrainian companies, the D-U-N-S Number is not just a formal number in an international database. It is a way to make themselves more transparent to a foreign bank, buyer, investor, distributor or technology platform. In the context of war and the restructuring of export routes, trust in a company often begins even before the first meeting – with a check of its business profile,” noted Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine, Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine business unit, and Candidate of Economic Sciences.

For Ukrainian businesses, such an identifier can be useful in several practical situations: when registering on international platforms, working with large corporate clients, participating in tenders, raising finance, establishing partnerships, vetting counterparties and confirming business reputation.

“Ukrainian exporters are increasingly finding that foreign partners want to see not just a website, presentation or commercial proposal, but also verified information about the company: who it is, where it is