10/09/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/08/2024 22:28
Following a consultation earlier this year,1 last month the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) updated regulatory guide "RG 236 Do I need an AFS licence to participate in carbon markets?" (RG 236)2 to address the safeguard mechanism reforms and provide further guidance on when participants in Australian carbon markets are likely to need an Australian financial services licence (AFSL).
This is the first revision of RG 236 since publication in 2015. It is a welcome update given the developments in the carbon markets since then, and the greater number of participants in the development, management and funding of carbon projects. Notably, the Australian market has seen a significant increase in the number of people seeking to trade carbon credits and invest in carbon projects.
Importantly, RG 236 provides helpful examples and other insights on ASIC's views regarding whether certain activities will require an AFSL and how existing licensing exemptions apply to activities in the carbon markets. Participants in the carbon markets would be well advised to review RG236 before entering into transactions that involve carbon projects or trading carbon credits in Australia and to seek expert legal advice.
This update discusses some of the key takeaways from revised RG 236.
New RG 236 provides substantial commentary on the safeguard mechanism legislative reforms that commenced on 1 July 2023. RG 236 now:
Notably, SMCs are a type of eligible international emissions unit (EIEU), which are a financial product under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). RG 236 addresses the AFS licensing implications in relation to SMCs, which also apply to other financial products and types of emissions units, such as Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs).
Participants in the carbon markets should be aware that their activities may be regulated under the AFSL regime in the following key ways:
Whether any of the above regulated activities are triggered will depend on the structure of a specific transaction or dealing relating to carbon credits. As may be expected, the law in this area is quite complex and technical, and there are often a number of exemptions that may apply to avoid the need to obtain an AFSL.
For example, an issue that often arises in transactions involving carbon projects or carbon credits is whether an arrangement is a derivative, which itself is a particular type of regulated financial product under the Corporations Act 2001(Cth). RG 236 now provides more up-to-date examples which will help participants determine if certain forms of arrangements in carbon markets are likely to be derivatives, particularly with regards to options and forward contracts over carbon credits entered into by secondary traders in the market.3 However, making this determination will remain complex in many circumstances, including:
Parties to the above transactions, including overseas participants dealing with Australian parties, are often not fully aware of the application of the AFSL regime and the availability of exemptions in these circumstances. New RG236 helps to address this by providing guidance on a number of matters, including the following:
For further assistance in relation to the above and navigating the Australian carbon markets landscape, please reach out to the Norton Rose Fulbright carbon market team. Our team is comprised of lawyers across multiple disciplines such as corporate, environmental, banking and financial services, and we have worked closely with a variety of participants in the carbon markets, including purchasers, sellers, project developers, financiers, aggregators, landholders and carbon service providers since the inception of the Australian carbon market in 2011.
Ibid RG 236.98-101.
Ibid RG 236.120-121.
Ibid RG 236.139.
Ibid 236.101.
Ibid RG 236.185.
Ibid RG 236.169-171.