It's an interesting list, but I can understand Wikipedia not wanting it. Somebody somewhere is maintaining the official list. If you start a new bank, you can

It's an interesting list, but I can understand Wikipedia not wanting it. Somebody somewhere is maintaining the official list. If you start a new bank, you can just make up your own Issuer Identification Number and expect to interoperate with the rest of the financial industry. Since someone somewhere has a official list, Wikipedia should publish or link to that official list. I suppose if the official list is "secret" or unpublished, then the question is trickier. Even in that case, I think the best option would be for Wikipedia to offer an external link to someone compiling or maintaining such a list.