Global Carbon Council
The Global Carbon Council is a Qatar-based international voluntary carbon crediting programme serving project developers, corporates, and sovereigns across the Global South, operating an integrated registry and exchange infrastructure for high-integrity carbon credits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersDoha, Qatar
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Global Carbon Council does
The Global Carbon Council (GCC) is a Qatar-based international carbon crediting programme founded in 2016 that develops, issues, and tracks voluntary carbon credits, primarily serving project developers, corporates, and sovereigns across the Global South. It operates the Carbon Market Infrastructure (CMI), an integrated platform combining a National Carbon Registry with exchange connectivity, enabling end-to-end issuance, verification, trading, and retirement of credits. GCC holds a distinctive stack of regulatory designations: ICAO CORSIA accreditation, ICROA endorsement, and ICVCM Core Carbon Principles (CCP) approval, making it the first international GHG programme based in the Global South with this combination of credentials.
The business model monetizes primarily through carbon credit issuance fees on registered projects, registry service charges for sovereign partners adopting the National Carbon Registry, and exchange trading revenues via its partnership with Saudi Arabia's Voluntary Carbon Market exchange. Distribution is built on strategic partnerships with regional and national institutions: the Malaysia Forest Fund, India's TERI, and African host countries including Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, alongside the VCM exchange channel. The organization's strategic positioning emphasizes high-integrity Global South supply for international compliance and voluntary demand, with exchange-listed liquidity (600,000+ tons traded in the VCM platform's first month) serving as the principal public commercial signal.
Leadership is anchored by Yousef Alhorr as Founding Chairman and CEO, providing operational continuity since inception. The programme competes with established Western voluntary carbon standards (Verra, Gold Standard) primarily on the dimensions of Global South geographic alignment, sovereign-government partnership models, and the integrated registry-plus-exchange infrastructure stack rather than on market share in legacy voluntary markets.
Global Carbon Council firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Global Carbon Council
- Legal name
- Global Carbon Council
- Website
- https://globalcarboncouncil.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Global Carbon Council is a Qatar-based international voluntary carbon crediting programme serving project developers, corporates, and sovereigns across the Global South, operating an integrated registry and exchange infrastructure for high-integrity carbon credits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Global Carbon Council industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Carbon Market Infrastructure
- akta.pro primary industry
- Voluntary Carbon Credit Verification & Validation (VCS/Gold Standard/ACR/CAR) (EUABACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tokenization, Digital MRV-Linked Credits & On-Chain Carbon Infrastructure (Digital assets, provenance) (EUABAAAE)
Keywords
Where Global Carbon Council is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Doha
- HQ country
- Qatar
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
Global Carbon Council business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Carbon Credit Certification and Issuance: GCC certifies carbon credits through its international carbon crediting programme, enabling credits to be traded on regional and international exchanges. Revenue is generated through certification fees and the growth in traded volume on integrated platforms.
- Carbon Market Infrastructure Services: GCC provides digital infrastructure services to countries for implementing Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, including sovereign national registry operations, carbon credit lifecycle management, and UNFCCC reporting capabilities.
- Exchange Integration and Trading Fees: GCC-certified credits traded on regional carbon exchanges such as Saudi Arabia's VCM generate trading activity and market liquidity. The company benefits from increased carbon credit volume flowing through its certified programme.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Global Carbon Council product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Global Carbon Council (GCC) is a Qatar-based international carbon crediting programme that certifies and issues carbon credits from emission reduction projects. It operates an independently developed Carbon Market Infrastructure (CMI) platform with an integrated National Carbon Registry providing end-to-end digital solutions for carbon credit registration, issuance, tracking, transfer, retirement, and UNFCCC reporting under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. GCC also aggregates small-scale household clean energy actions into tradable carbon credits through digital MRV systems.
Product overview
Global Carbon Council (GCC) is a Qatar-based international carbon crediting programme that operates as a unified platform-plus-infrastructure model. Its core offerings consist of the Carbon Market Infrastructure (CMI) platform with integrated National Carbon Registry, which together provide end-to-end digital solutions for carbon credit lifecycle management and sovereign registry operations supporting Paris Agreement Article 6.2. GCC also participates in a digital carbon marketplace partnership with TERI for India's household clean energy projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Carbon Market Infrastructure (CMI) End-to-end digital platform providing solutions for carbon credit registration, issuance, tracking, transfer, retirement, and UNFCCC reporting under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. Developed independently by GCC and offered to sovereign governments and national climate institutions.
- National Carbon Registry Integrated sovereign national registry system within the CMI platform that enables countries to operate under full control for managing national carbon credit records while maintaining interoperability with international carbon market standards.
- India Digital Carbon Marketplace Marketplace platform enabled through partnership with TERI that aggregates small-scale household and livelihood-based clean energy projects (e.g., solar lighting, clean cooking) to generate internationally recognized carbon credits through digital MRV systems, unlocking carbon finance for rural communities in India.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 600,000 tons of GCC-certified carbon credits traded in the first month of VCM exchange integration
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Global Carbon Council
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Global Carbon Council technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Global Carbon Council partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)coreGCC and TERI signed an MoU to establish India's first digital carbon marketplace for household and livelihood-based clean energy projects under TERI's LaBL 2.0 programme. The platform aggregates rural household and micro-enterprise clean energy projects such as solar lighting and clean cooking technologies, generating internationally recognized carbon credits through digital MRV systems. The initiative aims to unlock carbon finance for rural and underserved communities in India, serving as a replicable model for other developing countries.
- Malaysia Forest Fund (MFF)coreGCC and Malaysia Forest Fund signed an MoU to strengthen collaboration on carbon markets and scale Nature-based Solutions across Malaysia. The partnership establishes a framework to ensure Malaysia's NbS meet international standards, attracts foreign climate finance, and enables local forest carbon projects to be recognized as world-class assets. GCC's Carbon Market Infrastructure will support the implementation of Malaysia's carbon markets.
- Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company (VCM)coreGCC and VCM (Saudi Arabia's first voluntary carbon credit exchange, established by the Public Investment Fund and Saudi Tadawul Group) signed a strategic partnership to scale regional voluntary carbon markets through GCC's certification standards and VCM's institutional-grade trading platform. Over 600,000 tons of GCC-certified carbon credits were traded in the first month following integration, demonstrating strong market traction and growing regional demand for high-integrity carbon credits.
- Climate Institutions of Mali, Mauritania, and NigerflagshipGCC (QSTP-based) signed agreements with climate institutions in Mali, Mauritania, and Niger to develop digital, interoperable carbon market infrastructure and support Article 6 implementation of the Paris Agreement across three African nations. This represents a flagship expansion of GCC's carbon market infrastructure into the African continent.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Global Carbon Council competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Verra: Verra operates the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the world's largest voluntary GHG crediting programme, directly competing with GCC for issuer and buyer relationships. Both organizations certify emission-reduction projects, issue tradable carbon credits, and operate registries with interoperability to international compliance schemes.
- Gold Standard: Gold Standard is a leading voluntary carbon credit standard certifying projects under both the Paris Agreement and CORSIA, closely comparable to GCC's programme. Both focus on high-integrity credits, sustainable-development co-benefits, and serve overlapping corporate and sovereign buyer segments.
- American Carbon Registry (ACR): ACR is a U.S.-based voluntary carbon registry issuing credits for forestry, energy, and methane projects, comparable to GCC's CMI. Both operate standards approved under CORSIA and compete for the same pool of corporate and compliance buyers in the voluntary market.
- Climate Action Reserve (CAR): CAR develops and operates voluntary carbon offset protocols and a public registry, with CORSIA-eligible credits that compete directly with GCC-certified credits. Both serve corporate and compliance buyers and emphasize rigorous MRV and additionality standards.
- ART (Architecture for REDD+ Transactions): ART issues high-integrity REDD+ credits at jurisdictional scale, comparable to GCC's nature-based and household-level offerings. Both have ICVCM CCP assessments and target sovereign counterparties and corporate buyers seeking high-integrity forestry and land-sector credits.
- Puro.earth: Puro.earth operates a carbon removal registry for engineered and nature-based removal credits, similar in function to GCC's registry infrastructure. Both issue tradable credits, manage lifecycle tracking, and serve corporate buyers seeking high-integrity offsets with rigorous MRV.
Emerging players
- BioCarbon Registry: BioCarbon Registry is a newer project-based registry issuing credits for nature-based and biochar projects, partially overlapping with GCC's portfolio. Both target emerging-market projects and serve buyers looking beyond the dominant Western-headquartered standards.
Others
- Sylvera: Sylvera provides independent ratings and analytics on the quality of voluntary carbon credits, sitting adjacent to GCC's certification and issuance business. Both operate in the voluntary carbon market and rely on overlapping buyer segments, but Sylvera rates rather than issues credits.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Global Carbon Council social profiles
Digital presenceGlobal Carbon Council compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Global Carbon Council financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Global Carbon Council leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Global Carbon Council funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Global Carbon Council M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Global Carbon Council
What does Global Carbon Council do?
Global Carbon Council (GCC) is a Qatar-based international carbon crediting programme that certifies and issues carbon credits from emission reduction projects. It operates an independently developed Carbon Market Infrastructure (CMI) platform with an integrated National Carbon Registry providing end-to-end digital solutions for carbon credit registration, issuance, tracking, transfer, retirement, and UNFCCC reporting under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. GCC also aggregates small-scale household clean energy actions into tradable carbon credits through digital MRV systems.
Is Global Carbon Council a public or private company?
Global Carbon Council is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Global Carbon Council founded?
Global Carbon Council was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Global Carbon Council based?
Global Carbon Council is headquartered in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East region.
How does Global Carbon Council make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Carbon Credit Certification and Issuance is the primary driver. The others are carbon Market Infrastructure Services and exchange Integration and Trading Fees.
Who are Global Carbon Council's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Verra, Gold Standard, American Carbon Registry (ACR), Climate Action Reserve (CAR), ART (Architecture for REDD+ Transactions) and Puro.earth. BioCarbon Registry is listed as an emerging player. Sylvera is listed as an others.
Does Global Carbon Council have an API?
No public API is recorded for Global Carbon Council.
What industry is Global Carbon Council in?
Global Carbon Council's product category is Carbon Market Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABACAA, Voluntary Carbon Credit Verification & Validation (VCS/Gold Standard/ACR/CAR), with a secondary code of EUABAAAE, Tokenization, Digital MRV-Linked Credits & On-Chain Carbon Infrastructure (Digital assets, provenance).