Published by Fair Carbon, this policy brief assesses blue carbon readiness across regions, identifying policy, institutional and financing conditions needed to scale high-integrity mangrove and coastal wetland credits, strengthen safeguards, and mobilise investment aligned with national climate and development goals.
IETA’s report provides a detailed overview of compliance and voluntary carbon markets in 2025. It reviews Article 6 readiness, ETS growth, CORSIA’s first operational phase, evolving VCM demand signals and the rise of high-integrity credits. The report analyses governance gaps, data and registry interoperability, legal clarity and digital MRV as critical enablers of scale. It highlights how emerging policy frameworks and corporate demand are driving a new phase of integration across global carbon markets.
Published by AFD, this briefing examines the structural complexity of carbon credits and the institutional factors shaping carbon market integrity. It details technical risks, additionality, permanence, over-crediting, leakage and double counting, and how information asymmetry affects credit quality. The paper reviews ICVCM, VCMI, Article 6 and registry reforms, arguing that alignment with NDCs, legal clarity and transparent infrastructure are essential for a high-integrity VCM.
A CI-Rare-NCMA deep dive mapping non-carbon market approaches for blue carbon ecosystems. It sets out how coastal NbS can mobilize finance beyond credit sales through policy, blended finance, and performance-based tools, and details the institutional, social and financial enabling conditions needed for success
Published by OIES and Trafigura, this Energy Insight explains how to operationalize Article 6 markets after the completion of the COP29 Rulebook, covering host-country frameworks, transaction models (6.2 and 6.4), compliance market growth, and the legal, financial and reporting infrastructure needed to scale a global carbon market.
In this practical guide, VCMI outlines how countries can build the enabling environments needed to access carbon markets credibly and effectively. The toolkit includes an Access Framework with indicators across governance, safeguards, finance, data, and policy. It helps users identify capacity gaps, prioritize investments, and coordinate across ministries. Developed with a focus on equity and climate ambition, the toolkit is designed to support implementation of Article 6 and the transition toward high-integrity, country-driven carbon market participation.
The Carbon Crediting Data Framework (CCDF) proposes a standardized schema for core carbon crediting data. Developed by RMI with ecosystem input, it supports transparency, lowers transaction costs, and enables cross-platform interoperability. The framework addresses project metadata, MRV inputs, risk disclosures, and monitoring outputs. By reducing duplicated due diligence, currently consuming 60%+ of some teams’ time, it allows stakeholders to more efficiently assess credit quality. The CCDF lays the groundwork for more automated, trusted digital carbon markets.
The World Bank’s Carbon Markets Infrastructure Working Group sets out governance priorities for scaling carbon markets. The note provides recommendations on institutional roles, regulatory oversight, data integrity, and accountability, outlining a foundational framework for resilient market infrastructure.
A Nature Sustainability perspective argues that the credibility of carbon offsets is undermined by inflated ex-ante baselines. It proposes that systematic ex-post evaluations, based on observed outcomes, could prevent over-crediting, improve carbon credit accuracy, and restore trust in certification standards in voluntary carbon markets.
This Carbon Mechanisms Review brief by Wuppertal Institute outlines how a common credit data model can serve as a backbone for digital carbon markets. It highlights benefits like improved interoperability, transparency, and cost reduction, especially for registries, project developers, and credit buyers navigating fragmented systems.