Carbon Trade Exchange: History

After selling Bartercard’s flagship operation in Australia in 2007 ($25.5 million), Carbon Trade Exchange (CTX) Founder and CEO, Wayne Sharpe, attended the UN climate change conference in Bali, and shifted his technological and entrepreneurial skills to the global challenge of climate change.

Sharpe identified the global Carbon market as a fractured, diverse OTC market place with multiple credit ‘standards’; he saw challenges that he could overcome in the business to business trade sector and used his Bartercard technology as a foundation to create CTX.

CTX was founded in 2009 following 2 years of R&D, launching operationally in London and then in Sydney in 2010. The same year CTX negotiated with Westpac to create an electronic interface with CTX.

Today CTX is operated by Carbon Trade Exchange Ltd, a UK-based subsidiary of Global Environmental Markets (GEM). Under the CTX brand, CTX trades Carbon Credits certified by the Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard and United Nations CDM. We also offer other Carbon Services, including: Carbon Offsetting; Carbon Neutral Certification; Carbon Project Development; and Carbon Footprinting.

Since 2009 the CTX group of companies has offset over 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, helping companies to fund renewable energy, forest conservation and community projects all over the world. CTX currently operates out the UK and Australia.

2007

Stop Trashing Our Planet (STOP) owned by Wayne Sharp started CTX R&D

2008

Carbon Trade eXchange® (CTX) founded by Wayne Sharpe

2009

CTX was launched in London with Deutsche bank and linked registries via Markit

2010

CTX relocated from London to Australia – re-launched in Sydney with fully electronic interface to Westpac bank

2011

Partnership agreements with Gold Standard & American Carbon Registry (ACR) and the Carbon Action Reserve (CAR)

2012

Granted Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL)

Application for Australian Market License (AML) commences 

2013

Water for Rivers JGE agrees to sell IP to GEM; GEM develops H2OX water exchange

2014

AU REC exchange launched; New York office opened, Agreement with RGGI (USA)

CTX Holdings Pty Ltd (CtxH) formed and takes 15-year License from GEM  for CTX tech, brands etc. $1.2 mil pa SLA fee

2015

Wells Fargo Bank interface built and deployed, RGGI and California Exchange launched for North American environmental products

Australian water platform H2OX built tested and launched

CTX sponsors IETA Business Hub at COP21 Paris & UNEP SIF also Paris.

2016

Hostile Takeover February, GEM takes Supreme Court Action.

Senior Execs, staff and Investors secretly form Colonial Bourses Limited (CBL) now Xpansiv Limited). In October GEM settles hostile dispute and sells equity in operational subsidiary CtxH.

Simultaneous cancellation and buyout of H2OX License for $100,000 and 4AX License: GEM retains all IP

GEM retains all CTX exchange tech IP (USA and Global) and brands and domains

Sale of CtxH Equity and Cancellation of License

CtxH rebrands to CBL Markets and keep CTX clients

2017

GEM restarts Carbon Trade eXchange (CTX) as 100% owned

All US based technology hibernated, and GEM  relocates to Gold Coast Australia, states new companies for CTX in UK

CTX signs world 1st deal to interface with UNFCCC CDM Registry (Bonn)

GEM & CTX sponsor Innovate for Climate Frankfurt and Aviation Carbon London

2018

GEM designs and builds Global REDD+ Registry technology (buyer defaults)

CTX reopens London offices

2019

GEM redesigns Registry into ITMO Registry to support the Paris Agreement

Launches at UNFCCC COP25 Madrid

GEM & CTX Sponsor Aviation Carbon London and major sponsors IETA business Hub at COP25 Madrid.

GEM launches ITMO Registry® technology

2020
Q2

GEM completes electronic interface between ITMO Registry and CTX

CTX reactivates trading Verra VCS and CER’s outside CDM & introduces OTC Exchange Cleared Trades and Corporate Lines of Credit

2020
Q3-Q4

GEM & CTX launch Aviation Carbon Exchange (A.C.E.) ® landing page + CORSIA listings on CTX

CTX signs record numbers of corporate buyers

2021
Q1-Q2

CTX hits 70+ million plus credits in Hot and Cold inventory across almost 200 projects in 32 countries

Major buyers and sellers swarm CTX as records tumble

2021
Q3-Q4

GEM announces launch of International Carbon Registry (ICR)

First ICR credits issued and listed on CTX

GEM is major Sponsors of COP26 as partners with IETA

2022

First major Global Investment bank agrees  to trade on CTX

GEM Build SSO technology.

CTX Chile office opens

CTX interfaces with BioCarbon Registry and Universal Carbon Registry.

Staff /offices in India, Costa Rica and Colombia.

CTX signs 150 new members for the year and smashes trade records. Staff explodes from 6 to 20