Bursa Malaysia Takes a Bold Step: Introducing the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) Handbook

Kuala Lumpur, 5 October 2023  – The release of Malaysia’s Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) Handbook at the Bursa Malaysia Carbon Market Forum 2023 showcased the country’s proactive stance towards sustainability. This handbook represents a pivotal step, providing clear guidance to both businesses and investors on participating in the voluntary carbon market, ultimately contributing to Malaysia’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

The VCM Handbook is a collaborative effort between Bursa Malaysia Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia” or the “Exchange”) and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (“MGTC”), which was initiated through a memorandum of collaboration (“MOC”) signed on 20 February 2023. The VCM Handbook was developed in consultation with NRECC and various ecosystem participants.

As Malaysia shifts towards becoming a lower carbon economy, the VCM Handbook is a relevant guide designed to assist entities keen on participating in carbon market project development and Malaysia’s voluntary carbon market. The handbook defines the roles and functions of key entities in Malaysia’s carbon market operations, serving as a reference point for market players.

“We are delighted to complete the VCM Handbook within just six months of the MOC signing, and this demonstrates effective collaboration in fulfilling a need to nurture the development of carbon projects in Malaysia,” said Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia.

“With the increasing prominence on carbon offsets and carbon markets globally, it is imperative that Malaysia acts on the nation’s untapped potential, by developing its VCM ecosystem and implementing high-quality carbon projects. This VCM Handbook is a critical step in ensuring Malaysia’s VCM can truly support the country’s net zero journey,” added Datuk Umar.

“The VCM Handbook will be a valuable resource to facilitate carbon offset project implementation in Malaysia, where the carbon credit generated will be used by other corporations to meet their net zero targets. The VCM Handbook provides essential information on how it works, key concepts, standard methodologies, and case studies,” shared Ts. Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor, Group Chief Executive Officer of MGTC.

He added, “MGTC is honoured to collaborate with bursa Malaysia in developing it. We thank the numerous stakeholders, including federal ministries, state governments, relevant government agencies, carbon consultants, project developers, as well as validation and verification bodies, for their invaluable contributions. In addition to the VCM Handbook, we are pleased to announce the launch of a VCM Directory, another necessary tool to scale up the emerging Malaysia’s carbon credit supply.”

Datuk Umar also shared plans to promote both the VCM Handbook and VCM Directory at the Malaysia Pavilion during the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 28) in Dubai later this year. “Our goal is to attract international project developers and investors to participate in the development of high-quality carbon projects in Malaysia, and facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills and capital needed to rapidly scale up carbon initiatives in the country. This effort is pivotal in supporting domestic corporates in their net zero and carbon neutrality goals, and for fulfilment of the role of the Bursa Carbon Exchange,” he explained.

The inaugural Malaysia Carbon Market Forum is a half-day event organised by the Bursa Carbon Exchange. With knowledge sharing as the central focus, the forum offered participants the opportunity to learn from both local and leading global experts on global VCM trends and how to leverage and navigate carbon markets and carbon project development. Speakers at the forum included representatives from International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), Verra, Indonesia Carbon Trade Association (IDCTA), Vitol, Sylvera, Permian Global, Shell’s Nature Based Solutions business, EKI Energy Services Ltd., Viridios Capital Pty Ltd and BloombergNEF.

A copy of the VCM Handbook can now be downloaded from https://bcx.bursamalaysia.com/index.php?rp=vcm_handbook. Companies operating in the carbon market industry can now register their services in the newly established VCM Directory, accessible via https://www.mgtc.gov.my/vcm/.