Implications of the FRTB for Carbon Certificates: A Global Perspective

The Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB) includes higher capital charges for carbon trading under the standardized approach to market risk, which has implications for banks in their role as intermediaries in the emissions trading system (ETS).

In an earlier paper, ISDA investigated whether the regulatory treatment of carbon credit trading under the FRTB is justified by focusing on the EU ETS. The appropriate treatment is important as overly stringent capital requirements would impair the functioning of the carbon market and hamper the willingness of firms to invest in the transformation to a green economy.

This paper extends the findings by investigating the risk of carbon certificate trading in two North American markets – the Western Climate Initiative and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – as well as the UK’s ETS.

Documents (1) for Implications of the FRTB for Carbon Certificates: A Global Perspective

US Treasury Repo Clearing Indicators May 2026

The ISDA-Actrix US Treasury Repo Market Clearing Indicators illustrate central clearing adoption in the US Treasury repo market. Sponsored cleared repo volumes are used as a proxy to monitor client participation in central clearing, the key objective of the Securities...

Eyeing the Basel III Finish Line

An effective regulatory capital framework relies on multiple ingredients, from appropriate drafting to rigorous testing and consultation. Even minor calibration distortions can inflate capital requirements, which could negatively affect the capacity of banks to support deep and liquid markets, with...