Verra and S&P Global to launch overhauled carbon registry on 27 July
Verra, the world’s largest greenhouse gas crediting standards body, has confirmed that a next-generation carbon registry built in collaboration with S&P Global Energy will go live on 27 July 2026, marking the most significant upgrade to the organisation’s registry infrastructure since the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Programme was established nearly two decades ago.
The new platform has been developed under a strategic partnership first announced in August 2025, when the two organisations said they would combine Verra’s project management systems with S&P Global Energy’s Environmental Registry software to create a single, modernised infrastructure for the issuance, transfer, and retirement of verified carbon credits. The registry will initially replace Verra’s existing system and, in a subsequent update, will incorporate transaction-ready application programming interfaces (APIs) enabling automated transfers and retirements, as well as deeper integration with exchanges, brokers, and marketplaces operating in the voluntary and compliance carbon markets.
According to Verra’s June 2026 newsletter, the platform combines a modernised interface, direct connectivity with the Verra Project Hub, and technology designed to improve transparency and traceability across the full carbon credit lifecycle. The organisation has said the new registry is designed to scale alongside a growing global carbon market and reduce technical barriers that have historically limited high-volume trading.
A key stated objective of the new system is to support integration with international frameworks including Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). With voluntary carbon markets increasingly being called upon to interface with national and international compliance mechanisms, registry infrastructure capable of maintaining clear audit trails and preventing double-counting has become a critical market integrity issue.
S&P Global Energy’s Environmental Registry software incorporates quality standards controls, centralised verification documentation, and unique identification systems for individual carbon credits. The company has described the combination of its commodities and benchmark infrastructure expertise with Verra’s standards body credibility as a foundational step toward a more unified and digitally integrated carbon market.
Verra CEO Mandy Rambharos has described registries as the backbone of the carbon market, noting that the infrastructure underlying them must keep pace with growing demands for integrity, scale, and digital capability. The new registry has been developed with dedicated support and training for existing registry users including project developers, auditors, traders, and other market participants to facilitate the transition from the outgoing system.
The launch falls during a period of significant structural change in carbon markets globally, with voluntary and compliance mechanisms converging at an increasing rate, new regulatory frameworks emerging in the European Union, and demand for higher-integrity carbon credits placing greater weight on the quality of underlying market infrastructure. Verra and S&P Global Energy are co-hosting an event at London Climate Action Week on 24 June 2026 to discuss the registry transition and broader carbon market developments.
The announcement of the July launch date follows several other significant milestones for Verra in recent weeks, including the certification of its first government-led jurisdictional forest carbon programme in Argentina and the publication of a new carbon crediting methodology for the shipping sector.
