Standard Chartered Signs JREDD deal with Acre; UN Advances A6 Platform; AUDA-NEPAD Launches A6 Readiness Facility
Author: Fundi Maphanga
In this edition of our policy newsletter, we summarise some key policy developments in the carbon markets over the last two weeks including Standard Chartered’s deal to sell carbon credits for Brazilian State of Acre, AUDA-NEPAD’s launch of a Carbon Market Governance Platform under Article 6, and Progress Towards a Centralised article 6 Carbon-Trading Platform.
1. Standard Chartered to Sell Carbon Credits for Brazilian State of Acre
(Source: WSJ, Reuters, Carbon Pulse, Bloomberg)
Scroll down to learn more.
On the 7th of August, Standard Chartered announced that it will market and sell forest-protection carbon credits on behalf of the Brazilian state of Acre, with the aim of protecting the Amazon and channeling more revenue to Indigenous communities.
The bank has agreed to sell up to 5 million jurisdictional REDD+ credits starting in 2026. Around 72% of proceeds will be directed to climate adaptation finance for Indigenous communities. The State of Acre, home to roughly 880,000 people, expects to unlock as much as $150 million in nature-based forest protection.
This is one of the first times a major bank has taken on direct jurisdictional credit sales rather than operating through intermediaries, signalling growing interest in high-integrity credits with strong co-benefits. In June this year, the State of Acre selected Sylvera to conduct an independent assessment of its jurisdictional REDD program, and with the assessment ongoing ahead of COP30, it is expected to impact perceptions of integrity for similar programs.
Who it affects: Acre’s government & Indigenous organisations; NBS developers in Brazil; multinational buyers with Amazon-aligned strategies; intermediaries seeking scalable J-REDD frameworks. Recent policy milestones (CONAREDD+’s recent proposal for REDD+ safeguards), if implemented and proven robust, have the potential to strengthen social protections and could smooth inclusion pathways for REDD+ into Brazil’s ETS (SCBE).
Sentiment: Positive, this is an innovative agreement in sustainable finance aims to uplift local communities while improving market credibility.
What to watch next: Increased capital finance into similar programs; updates on verification timelines, independent rating assessment results and buyer eligibility (LoA) under frameworks such as CORSIA.
2) Global: Centralized Article 6.4 platform/registry - practical steps click into place
On 21 February 2025, the UNFCCC published the finalised operational procedures for the Article 6.4 registry, a key piece of the Paris Agreement’s carbon market infrastructure. The procedure sets out in detail how A6.4 emission reductions (A6.4ERs) will be issued, tracked, transferred, and cancelled, and explains how the central registry will connect with national systems and other eligible registries.
As of 5 August 2025, 113 countries have formally designated their national authorities (DNAs), the entities responsible for approving and authorising Article 6 activities. This marks a significant jump from fewer than 90 DNAs a year ago and reflects growing readiness across both developed and developing countries to participate in Paris-aligned crediting.
Without a functioning registry, Article 6.4 credits cannot be issued, transferred, or used toward NDCs or other purposes. Finalising the operational procedure, plus standing up a public interface, removes a major piece of uncertainty for project developers, host governments, and buyers.
The UNFCCC secretariat plans to launch an open tender in the coming weeks to procure registry systems supporting Articles 6.2 and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement. This infrastructure, needed for international transfers and the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM), follows the UN’s cancellation of a previous centralized Article 6 registry tender in December 2024. With interim solutions having emerged, the new tender signals a renewed push to operationalize Article 6 transactions at scale and ensure interoperability across the international registry and related platforms(Source: Carbon Pulse).
Legacy project transition: Developers of CDM afforestation/reforestation (A/R) projects have until 31 December 2025 to migrate eligible activities into the A6.4 framework, or lose that pathway entirely. The registry’s operational readiness is essential to prevent stranded assets.
Operational & policy implications
Governments must ensure their domestic registry systems and authorisation procedures are interoperable with the UNFCCC system to avoid bottlenecks. The registry’s interface provides templates and guidance, but implementation capacity will vary widely. For developers, the clear processes for activity registration and issuance enables forward planning for A6.4 pipelines. This is especially true for those weighing whether to transition CDM projects, apply to adopt new methodologies, or design new activities from scratch. Finally, for buyers, the availability of Article 6.4 Emission Reduction units (A6.4ERs), opens new procurement channels for both voluntary and compliance purposes, provided double-claiming risks are managed.
Sentiment: Positive.
The operational infrastructure is falling into place, which will unlock developer confidence and buyer engagement. However, the race is now on to ensure all moving parts, from methodologies to validator rosters to digital connections, are ready in time to meet the surge in expected demand.
What to watch next:
3. AUDA-NEPAD launches a continental Article 6 carbon-market governance platform
AUDA-NEPAD unveiled a continent-wide package to strengthen Africa’s role in carbon markets: (i) African Integrity & Equity Principles for carbon markets, (ii) a regional coordination mechanism to align authorisations and policy positions, and (iii) a digital platform to support Article 6 readiness (templates, guidance, and progress tracking). The high-level launch was co-convened with the Government of Kenya and Afreximbank during a continental dialogue in Nairobi; standard setters (VCMI, ICVCM) and ratings outfits (e.g., BeZero) participated. The UK is supporting AUDA-NEPAD’s effort, including via a technical secondee.
A continental framework can cut transaction costs and shorten timelines for Article 6 authorisations by giving DNAs shared templates and rules, while embedding social and environmental safeguards to reassure buyers/financiers. The move also plugs into the new Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets—a government-led effort launched by Kenya, the UK, and Singapore to set shared principles for corporate use of credits by COP30—creating clearer demand signals if African supply is made easier to authorise and track.
Africa’s historic credit issuances (emission reductions reduced or removed from VCM) by country
Who it affects (and how):
Risks & caveats:
Sentiment: Positive. If the principles, coordination mechanism, and digital tools roll out with transparency and resources, the platform can materially expand high-integrity African supply under Article 6—just as buyer guidance from the Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets lands ahead of COP30.
What to watch out for:
References