Macao International Carbon Emission Exchange Official Launch of CCP-Labeled Carbon Credit Spot Contracts with Successful Maiden Transaction

Macao International Carbon Emission Exchange (hereinafter referred to as “MEX”) today announced the official launch of spot carbon credit contracts based on CCP Labels(abbreviated as“CCP-X”) under the Standard Carbon Offset Market Tool Program(SCM Program) framework. Following the A6X contract, this marks another high-integrity environmental value product launched by MEX for global markets. Designed with standardized, transparent, and digital trading mechanisms, the product aims to support the delivery of global climate targets. As of 14:00 local time (UTC+8), the first transaction has been successfully completed: 10 lots of MEX-CCP-TEC (2022–2025) spot contracts were traded (1 lot = 100 tonnes), translating to a total trading volume of 1,000 tonnes of carbon credits at a transaction unit price of HKD 19.8 per tonne.

Against the backdrop of the high-quality transformation of the global Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) issued by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) have become the global benchmark for measuring the environmental integrity of carbon credits. Authorized by ICVCM to use the CCP Label, MEX has rolled out the CCP-X contract exclusively for carbon credits certified with official ICVCM labels. The product addresses market concerns about greenwashing and provides international buyers with a pool of highly credible carbon assets.

The underlying assets of the newly launched CCP-X spot contracts undergo rigorous screening, all sourced from high-quality emission reduction projects certified under the ICVCM Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). They also fully comply with the requirements of MEX’s SCM Program. The carbon credits underlying the contracts meet top-tier international compliance standards across critical dimensions, including emission permanence, project additionality, avoidance of double-counting, and social and environmental co-benefits.

The successful launch and maiden trade of the CCP-X contract represent a key milestone for MEX, which leverages Macao’s unique geographic advantages to connect green capital from mainland China and overseas markets. Moving forward, MEX will continue to collaborate with industry partners to innovate green financial products, drive the high-quality development of green finance in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and advance the interconnection and coordinated growth of global carbon markets.

Multiple Core Competitive Advantages

Compared with traditional carbon trading products, the CCP-X contract features a suite of internationally oriented design highlights that comprehensively enhance compliance, fairness, and security in carbon trading. It adopts a strict official CCP Label admission certification mechanism: all pooled assets must carry valid official ICVCM CCP Labels at the point of delivery and fully satisfy the criteria of MEX’s SCM Program. This ensures that carbon reduction projects align with the world’s highest industry standards in governance, emission reduction effectiveness, and sustainable development benefits, fundamentally safeguarding the authenticity and validity of carbon assets.

In terms of trading models, CCP-X introduces an innovative dual-track trading mechanism that balances market transparency and flexibility. On one hand, public listed auction trading is available via a matching auction model integrated with a Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) smoothing tool, which effectively stabilizes market prices and enables fair and impartial price discovery. On the other hand, private bilateral transfer trading is supported, allowing buyers and sellers to negotiate pricing independently. A price isolation mechanism is embedded to prevent large block trades from disrupting public market pricing, catering to trading demands of varying scales and scenarios.

For capital settlement, MEX has built a diversified, highly secure cross-border carbon trading settlement hub centered on its self-developed Cross-Border Carbon Settlement Gateway. The platform integrates mainstream cross-border settlement channels, including SWIFT international clearing, licensed cross-border payment institutions, and the mBridge Multi-Central Bank Digital Currency Bridge. It supports parallel switching and intelligent optimal matching across multiple channels, drastically boosting the efficiency and stability of cross-border capital settlement. The settlement system covers all cross-border green asset transactions, including international carbon credits, carbon sinks, and green certificates, and can flexibly adapt to the trading models and cooperation needs of different institutions to deliver customized, all-in-one cross-border settlement solutions that fully support enterprises’ global deployment of green assets. Meanwhile, the platform integrates coordinated bank supervision and closed-loop fund management. Supported by dedicated fast approval channels and a full-process compliance risk control system, it provides clients with convenient one-stop agency services that eliminate multi-layered coordination and cumbersome operations, greatly streamlining cross-border trading procedures, breaking cross-border circulation barriers and enabling efficient, seamless global circulation of green assets.

As a pivotal platform linking international carbon markets, MEX is committed to building transparent, efficient, and trustworthy trading infrastructure. The launch of the CCP-X contract delivers a high-quality offset instrument for enterprises subject to international compliance obligations.

With immediate effect, MEX members may submit listing applications for CCP-X contracts via the trading system.

For further details, please visit the official website of the Macao International Carbon Emission Exchange or send inquiries via email to  service@maceex.com.