ICE reports record volumes in environmental futures and options markets

Rick Steves

“Companies operating under cap-and-trade programs are required to treat their emissions as liabilities, creating demand for carbon allowances to pay for the pollution they emit, and incentivizing companies to seek lower cost abatement opportunities.”

Intercontinental Exchange has reported record volume of 3.64 million contracts (+5% YoY) traded in its North American environmental markets, with a record 270 companies trading in 2022.

ICE’s North American environmental futures and options markets include California Carbon Allowances, California Carbon credits, RGGI Allowances (RGA), California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Credits, and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).

Average daily volume increased by 5.5% to 14,500 contracts, according to the exchange operator, adding that approximately 372 million carbon allowances went to delivery through ICE in December 2022, of which North American carbon allowances accounted for 28%, at a notional value of $2.5 billion.

ICE’s renewable energy certificate (REC) futures markets grew by 40% in 2022, the company reported, as it offers 31 REC futures and options including wind and solar RECs and processed a record 981,302 REC contracts last year, equivalent to an estimated 87.6 million megawatt hours of renewable energy.

RECs are key hedging tool to reduce the price risks of renewables

Gordon Bennett, Managing Director of Utility Markets at ICE, said: “Net zero is predominantly an energy transition. The price signals and liquidity of energy and environmental markets are at the heart of helping companies transition to alternative forms of energy by providing the tools to allocate capital and manage the associated price risk. The transition to renewable electricity means RECs are integral to any company wishing to comply with their emission reduction commitments, as well as a key hedging tool to reduce the price risks of balancing supply and demand for renewables.

“Companies operating under cap-and-trade programs are required to treat their emissions as liabilities, creating demand for carbon allowances to pay for the pollution they emit, and incentivizing companies to seek lower cost abatement opportunities. With the scope of the European Emissions Trading Scheme set to increase by approximately another 1.5 billion tons under the EU’s Fit for 55, the number of emission liabilities at risk is set to nearly double to exceed 4 billion tons, increasing demand for environmental risk management tools.”

ICE plans to launch Washington carbon allowance futures, subject to completion of regulatory processes. Washington’s “Cap-and-Invest” program, which began on January 1, 2023, is closely modeled on California’s carbon market, has an initial cap of 63.3 million tons, and will over time cover 75% of Washington’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Since the launch of environmental markets, allowances equivalent to over 100 billion tons of carbon, over 250 million renewable energy certificates, 3 billion carbon credits, and the equivalent of over 3 billion Renewable Identification Numbers have traded on ICE.

Read this next

Institutional FX

FXSpotStream volumes hit 14-month high in November

FXSpotStream’s trading venue, the aggregator service of LiquidityMatch LLC, reported its operational metrics for November 2023, which moved higher on a monthly basis.

Digital Assets

Circle denies ties with Palestinian groups, TRON founder

Stablecoin issuer Circle has denied allegations that it facilitates funding for terrorist organizations.

Retail FX

CySEC hits operator of Titanedge, TradeEU with €90,000 fine

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) announced that it has imposed a fine of €90,000 on Titanedge Securities Ltd due to shortcomings in their regulatory obligations.

Institutional FX

Cboe FX volumes retreats slightly in November 2023

Cboe’s institutional spot FX platform today announced its trading volume for the month ending November 2023, which took a step back after a strong rebound in October.

Institutional FX

Alpha Group seals Cobase majority acquisition

Foreign exchange service provider Alpha Group International plc (AIM: ALPH) has finalized its acquisition of Financial Transaction Services, operating as Cobase.

Digital Assets

TMNG Tokens Successfully Listed on MEXC Crypto Exchange

TMN Global proudly announces the successful listing of its native TMNG token on the MEXC crypto exchange, effective December 1st, 2023. This strategic partnership marks a significant milestone for TMN Global in the crypto space.

Institutional FX

Marex completes acquisition of TD Cowen’s PB business

London-headquartered commodities broker Marex has completed the acquisition of TD Cowen’s prime brokerage and outsourced trading business, which will be integrated into Marex’s capital market division. This division was established following the acquisition of ED&F Man Capital Markets in 2022.

Digital Assets

Talos introduces decentralized liquidity and onchain settlement with Uniswap and Fireblocks

“At the cornerstone of the DeFi ecosystem, Uniswap has the breadth of assets and depth of liquidity that institutional traders need. And to have this partnership powered by Fireblocks, a digital assets infrastructure provider trusted by some of the most renowned institutions, is very fitting.”

Digital Assets

FINMA-regulated crypto bank SEBA Bank rebrands to AMINA

“As we look forward to 2024, our ambition is to accelerate the growth of our strategic hubs in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi, and to continue our global expansion, building on all the successes we have laid down over the past years.”

<