Australia has reached a milestone in the evolution of its carbon markets, with the successful migration of Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) to the nation’s new Unit and Certificate Registry – a next-generation blockchain platform designed to strengthen transparency, integrity and functionality across the market.
The transition consolidates ACCUs and Safeguard Mechanism credit units (SMCs) into a single, modern registry, bringing improved security, richer data, and new capabilities that will underpin Australia’s growing suite of carbon and environmental certificate schemes.
According to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), the establishment of the new registry is a central achievement in its multi-year technology and data transformation program, which aims to modernise the core infrastructure that supports Australia’s carbon markets.
A foundation for accessible carbon markets
The registry forms a foundational layer of Australia’s market transaction infrastructure, supporting the growth of deep, liquid and transparent carbon markets. Beyond ACCUs and SMCs, it will also host certificates from upcoming schemes including the Nature Repair Market and Guarantee of Origin.
“This is a major achievement,” said David Parker, Chair of the CER.
“The successful migration of 177,672,533 active and previously cancelled ACCUs, along with the full transaction history of over 2000 private and Commonwealth Australian National Registry of Emissions Unit accounts, is a major step forward. By adding additional data to the over 60 million active ACCUs still in circulation, we are providing the market with richer information, strengthening transparency and accessibility for all participants,” Parker said.
The registry’s design is intended to support Australia’s shift to more efficient, scalable and credible carbon market operations. By consolidating unit management in one place, it provides account holders – including safeguard entities, project developers, aggregators and corporates – with simpler tools and clearer visibility over the credits they hold, retire or transfer.
Richer security and data insights
Built on Trovio’s CorTenX blockchain service, the platform offers a secure, scalable and customisable ledger capable of handling increasing transaction volumes and the complexity of future certificate schemes.
For account holders, the upgrade introduces key improvements:
- Unified access to ACCUs and SMCs on one platform
- Richer datasets detailing unit information and project attributes
- Multi-factor authentication and enhanced security controls
- Streamlined transfer and management tools
- Blockchain-backed immutability, reducing risk and improving trust
“I would like to thank all those who have worked over an extended period to achieve this major step forward,” Parker said.
“We have been supported by Trovio, our registry services partner. Trovio’s CorTenX service provides the scalable, secure and customisable blockchain ledger that underpins our registry,” Parker added.
Safeguarding compliance and voluntary commitments
The new platform plays a pivotal role for companies seeking to meet obligations under the Safeguard Mechanism, as well as for the increasing number of Australian businesses participating in voluntary carbon reduction and clean energy commitments.
By improving the reliability and accessibility of certificate data, the registry strengthens confidence across the market – an important element as more industries adopt carbon reduction pathways and as demand for high-integrity units grows.
Future functionality
While the immediate focus has been on secure migration and continuity of service, the CER says the new registry paves the way for future enhancements, including interoperability between the registry and external trading platforms or account holder systems.
This capability will help streamline market interactions, automate workflows, and enable more sophisticated trading and reporting tools – aligned with an increasingly active and diversified carbon market.
As Australia scales its climate policies, carbon markets and environmental certificate schemes, the new Unit and Certificate Registry represents a strong foundation for managing volume, transparency and integrity.
For more information, visit the Unit and Certificate Registry webpage.