Carbon prices are no different from other commodities and look set to rise amid a wider rise in inflation and interest rates, a panel said Tuesday. Carbon prices should start to track higher after a recent selloff and are already showing signs of rebounding, panel members told an audience at a webinar organised by environmental asset-focused exchange Xpansiv.

Emsurge Carbon Marketplace has originated its first deal that was concluded in partnership with the ​CBL exchange, it announced Tuesday.​ ​The trade for 50,000 REDD credits was settled through CBL’s post-trade processing platform.​ ​Xpansiv’s CBL offered a way to finalise the deal quickly while work on the documents for future trades was completed.

“By working together (with the CBL platform), our clients can choose to streamline post-trade processes and ensure they never miss out on an opportunity due to time-lags, performing know your counterparty, credit and contractual due diligence,” said Melissa Lindsay, founder and chief executive of Emsurge.

Intertek, a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, is proud to join Xpansiv’s new Digital Fuels™ Program and deliver data quality assurance, carbon intensity benchmarking and independent certifications. Xpansiv, the global marketplace for ESG commodities, recently launched Digital Crude Oil™ (DCO), the latest addition to the company’s Digital Fuels (DF) Program. DCO units registered on the Xpansiv DF Registry enable markets to differentiate crude oil based on greenhouse-gas emissions and ESG performance.

“We welcome Intertek as a partner in our Digital Fuels Program,” said Xpansiv Sustainability Director Jeff Cohen. “The confluence of Xpansiv’s digital-commodities platform and Intertek’s quality-assurance experience enables unprecedented emissions transparency. Digital Crude Oil empowers the industry to accelerate-and profit from-low-carbon production.”

Contributed article by Xpansiv CFO Suzy Taherian

Buying offsets doesn’t mean companies stop pursuing other green initiatives. Carbon offsets offer a risk-management tool akin to buying fire insurance or hedging foreign exchange risk. CFOs purchase cybersecurity insurance, but that doesn’t mean they abandon strong cybersecurity policies, teams, and controls. Similarly, purchasing carbon offsets allows CFOs to reduce their companies’ immediate carbon footprints while continuing to advance other long-term strategies for technology innovations and operational improvements that reduce emissions.

The choice for many industries is to do nothing or to offset their carbon footprint while emission-abatement technologies are developed. Between “do nothing” and “do something,” the choice is clear.

Aussie investors could soon get their hands on arguably one of the most unique offerings on the ASX – the ESG unicorn called Xpansiv.

Xpansiv is a global company that runs the world’s biggest voluntary carbon credit marketplace.​ ​Its trading platform executes at least 90% of all​ exchange-traded​ voluntary carbon credit transactions globally, matching corporates who want to buy carbon credits with suppliers who run projects that reduce greenhouse gases (GHG).

The voluntary carbon market has exploded over the last couple of years, mainly driven by the ESG thematic that has taken the world by storm.​ ​Experts agree it’s a thematic that could dominate the financial markets for years to come, as the world rapidly undergoes a transition towards carbon neutrality.

Xpansiv has also built out quite an impressive vertical ecosystem, with adjacent businesses in data and registry that provide it with recurring revenues. It has partnerships with major organisations like the CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) and S&P Global Platts. It’s also set to acquire a stake in US-based APX Inc, the leading registry provider for environmental markets.

Xpansiv’s unlike much else on the ASX or listed globally; it owns the dominant carbon trading platform and associated services, including registry, data/trading infrastructure and the like. It’s also growing like a weed. Xpansiv’s carbon credit market CBL posted record volumes in the three months to March 31, crossing contracts worth 46.8 million tonnes. Including water and other ESG commodities, total volumes on CBL were 50.2 million tonnes, which was 15 per cent higher than what was a then record December quarter.