Accounting for Carbon Credits

At present, there are no specific International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP), or interpretations of those standards, that relate to carbon credit markets. This whitepaper addresses key accounting questions under existing guidance for both compliance carbon credits and voluntary carbon credits.

The paper addresses key accounting issues for entities that expect to use carbon credits to offset their own emissions, those that will trade these instruments in a secondary market and those that intend to do a combination of both. The paper addresses issues relevant to the application of both IFRS and US GAAP, although IFRS is the principal focus.

ISDA encourages the International Accounting Standards Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board to work together where possible to develop consistent accounting standards for carbon credits under IFRS and US GAAP.

Documents (1) for Accounting for Carbon Credits

Joint Response to FCA and HMT Consultations

On January 16, ISDA and UK Finance responded to both the consultation on streamlining the UK European Market Infrastructure Regulation (UK EMIR) intragroup regime by the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) and the draft statutory instrument from His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT)....

Key Trends in OTC Derivatives Market H1 2025

The latest data from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives statistics shows an increase in notional outstanding of OTC derivatives during the first half of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024. Notional outstanding rose across...

Credit Derivatives Trading Activity Q3 2025

This report analyzes credit derivatives trading activity reported in Europe. The analysis shows European credit derivatives transactions based on the location of reporting venues (EU versus UK) and product type. The report also compares European-reported credit derivatives trading activity to...

Striking a Balance on EU Market Risk Capital

With US prudential regulators poised to publish a revised Basel III endgame proposal this year, and EU and UK regulators moving to finalize their own rules, ISDA is maintaining a laser focus on achieving a risk-appropriate capital framework that is...