What Global Coal does

Global Coal (operating as globalCOAL) is a UK-incorporated private company (Global Commodities Holdings Limited) that operates the world's leading online physical coal trading platform. Its core offering consists of the Global Vision electronic marketplace — licensed from Trayport and running on Windows — on which Market Members transact physical and financial thermal and metallurgical coal under standardised contracts defined by the SCoTA (Standard Coal Trading Agreement). Price discovery is enabled through five proprietary benchmark indices: NEWC (Asia-Pacific thermal), gC RB (FOB Richards Bay), gC DES ARA (ARA hub), INDO 3800 (Indonesia) and gC HCCA (Australian metallurgical coal), all calculated from actual platform transactions and firm bids/offers.

The company monetises across three streams: (1) annual Market Membership subscriptions (standard tier US$23,358/year) granting platform access and the coal data suite; (2) recurring data licensing for its benchmark indices, real-time and delayed price feeds, the daily Coal Market Report, historical indices and closing curves, delivered by email, SFTP, view-only platform or web-based Analysis Suite; and (3) volume-based commission on its Bespoke Cargo Brokerage service for non-standardised physical cargoes, with broker teams in London and Singapore. Financial-market reach is extended through a partnership with ICE offering Newcastle, Rotterdam and Richards Bay coal futures that cash-settle against globalCOAL indices.

globalCOAL is FCA-authorised as a benchmark administrator under the UK Benchmarks Regulation (since December 2019) and has been IOSCO Principles-compliant since 2016, with the most recent compliance statement dated 16 September 2025. It serves more than 2,500 SCoTA Licensed Users and a broader Market Member base that includes producers (Peabody, Anglo American, BHP, Glencore, XCoal, Centennial Coal), utilities (Kyushu Electric Power, RWE, Engie, J-Power Resources, Enel), energy companies (Idemitsu) and steel plants. The company is headquartered in London at 30 Coleman Street, operates a regional office in Singapore, and is backed by major mining, trading and energy shareholders including Anglo American, BHP, Glencore, Rio Tinto, Enel, J-Power Resources, EP Resources and SSY (Semapa Sigma Group).

Name

Global Coal

Legal name

Global Commodities Holdings Limited

Website

https://globalcoal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

globalCOAL operates the world's leading online physical coal trading platform, offering standardised SCoTA contracts, proprietary benchmark indices (NEWC, RB, DES ARA, INDO, HCCA), data licensing and bespoke brokerage to coal producers, utilities, traders, banks, steel plants and industrial consumers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commodity Trading Platform

NAICS

Coal and Other Mineral and Ore Merchant Wholesalers (42352), Commodity Contracts Intermediation (52316), Securities and Commodity Exchanges (523210)

SIC

Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro primary industry

Coal & Petcoke Trading & Marketing (EUAGAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coal Marketing & Trading (IMAKAIAK)

Keywords

• Coal trading platform
• Thermal coal indices
• Benchmark price data
• Physical coal brokerage
• Standardized coal contracts

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Market Membership Fees: Annual membership fee for access to the globalCOAL trading platform. Includes three trading/view-only accounts, access to the coal data suite, and analytical tools. Standard membership is US$23,358 per year.
2. Data Licensing: Licensing of coal price index data (NEWC, RB, DES ARA, INDO, HCCA) for use in physical and financial contracts, mark-to-market, P&L reporting, and market analysis. Multiple subscription options structured based on data usage within the client company.
3. Coal Market Report: Daily delivery of Coal Market Report including index prices, market activity review, broker commentary, and closing curves. Delivered via email with additional access to analytical tools.
4. Bespoke Cargo Brokerage Commission: Commission-based revenue for brokering non-standardized physical coal cargoes. Volume-based commission negotiable depending on transaction complexity. Covers thermal and metallurgical coal from key markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

globalCOAL operates an electronic marketplace where Market Members bid, offer, and transact cargoes of physical thermal and metallurgical coal using the standardized SCoTA contract framework. The platform generates proprietary benchmark price indices (NEWC, gC RB, gC DES ARA, INDO 3800, gC HCCA) from actual trades, and distributes these alongside real-time prices, daily market reports, historical data, and bespoke brokerage services to producers, traders, utilities, banks, and steel plants globally.

Product overview

globalCOAL operates as the world's leading online physical coal trading platform, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of products centered on its electronic marketplace and standardized trading framework. The core offering consists of the globalCOAL Trading Platform for executing physical thermal and metallurgical coal trades, underpinned by SCoTA (Standard Coal Trading Agreement) which provides standardized contract terms and quality specifications. Price discovery is enabled through multiple benchmark indices including the NEWC Index (Asia-Pacific benchmark), gC RB Index (South Africa), gC DES ARA Index (Europe), INDO 3800 Index (Indonesia), and gC HCCA (metallurgical coal). Data products include the Coal Market Report (daily market update), Real-time Prices, Delayed Price Feed, Historical Indices, and Closing Curves. Financial products are offered through ICE partnership (futures contracts). Bespoke Cargo Brokerage and SCoTA Training services complement the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• globalCOAL Online Trading Platform Electronic marketplace where Market Members bid, offer, and transact cargoes of physical thermal and metallurgical coal using the Global Vision trading software by Trayport. Standardized specifications and delivery terms enable price comparability across origins and qualities.
• SCoTA (Standard Coal Trading Agreement) Standard coal trading contract combining a single accepted set of terms and conditions with coal quality specifications and delivery points for international coal sales. Free to use under license granted by globalCOAL; underlies all transactions on the globalCOAL platform.
• NEWC Index Benchmark price index for seaborne thermal coal in the Asia-Pacific region. Main price reference for physical coal contracts in Asia, settlement price for index-linked contracts, and settlement basis for ICE's globalCOAL Newcastle Coal Futures.
• gC RB Index (Richards Bay Index) Price benchmark capturing high CV thermal coal delivered FOB Richards Bay Coal Terminal in South Africa. Underpins the ICE gC RB Futures contract and used as settlement price in physical coal supply contracts.
• gC DES ARA Index Price benchmark capturing high CV thermal coal delivered DES at Amsterdam/Rotterdam/Antwerp ports. Calculated from bids, offers, and trades for standardized DES ARA spec coal covering multiple origins.
• INDO 3800 Index Benchmark index for Indonesian thermal coal with 3,800 kcal/kg NCV basis, delivered FOB at anchorage in East or South Kalimantan.
• gC HCCA Reference Price Reference price for premium mid-volatile Australian metallurgical coal (Hard Coking Coal Australia). Calculated solely from pricing data sourced from the globalCOAL trading platform, including broker analysis, bids/offers/trades, and closing curves.
• Coal Market Report (CMR) Daily email report delivered around 17:00 London time containing index prices, market activity review, broker commentary, closing curves, and access to historical trade data. Subscribed to separately by market participants for ongoing market intelligence.
• Real-time Prices Live access to the globalCOAL trading screen showing all firm bids, offers, and executed trades in real-time. Includes SMS/email alerts and live index calculation tools for enterprise subscribers.
• Delayed Price Feed (DPF) Near-time access to bids, offers, and trades on the globalCOAL platform, time-delayed by 1 hour. Includes thermal and met coal markets for 3 major hubs and a 12-hour historical view.
• Historical Indices One-off download of historical coal price data series reaching back to 2001 for ad hoc use by consultants and analysts. Includes thermal and metallurgical coal indices.
• Closing Curves End-of-day closing curves for physical coal contracts including NEWC, ARA, RB1, INDO 3800, RB2-4, and metallurgical coal, as well as the financial gC NEWC Futures Curve.
• Bespoke Cargo Brokerage Fully bespoke brokerage service for non-standardized physical coal cargoes, matching buyers and sellers for cargoes from Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, USA, Canada, and Colombia. Commission-based, volume-negotiable pricing.
• SCoTA Training Training courses covering SCoTA clauses, practical trading know-how, and case studies, conducted globally across principal coal trading centers. Reaches 3,500+ Licensed Users globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• NEWC Index is the main price reference for physical coal contracts in Asia
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ICE (Intercontinental Exchange)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with ICE for financial coal futures trading. ICE offers coal futures contracts settled against globalCOAL indices including NEWC Index, API 2, API 4, and gC RB Index. Provides risk management tools for Asia-Pacific and Atlantic coal markets.
• TrayportcoreTechnology or IntegrationTrayport provides the Global Vision (GV) trading platform software that powers globalCOAL's online coal trading platform. Platform runs on Microsoft Windows OS only.
• Coal TransminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner relationship with Coal Trans for coal industry events and publications. Listed as a partner on globalCOAL website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wood Mackenzie: Wood Mackenzie provides commodity research, price forecasting, and data across coal and other energy markets. Comparable as a subscription-based commodity intelligence and data provider serving similar enterprise customers.
• CRU Group: CRU offers commodity price assessments, market analysis, and forecasts across multiple commodities including coal. Comparable subscription/benchmark business model serving industrial buyers, traders, and producers.
• Baltic Exchange: Baltic Exchange operates benchmark indices for dry bulk shipping that directly affect coal freight economics, and provides market data licensing infrastructure similar to globalCOAL's. Adjacent benchmark/data business in seaborne commodities.
• IHS Markit (now S&P Global): Following the S&P/IHS Markit merger, the combined entity competes across commodity benchmarks and energy data. Comparable broad commodity data and benchmark provider overlapping with globalCOAL's data licensing model.

Direct peers

• S&P Global Platts: Platts produces benchmark price assessments for thermal and metallurgical coal (e.g., API2/API4, premium HCC), and powers financial derivatives settlement. Competes head-on with globalCOAL's NEWC, RB, and DES ARA indices for both physical and financial contracts.
• Argus Media: Argus Media publishes competing coal price assessments (API2, API4, NAR/NCV specs) and runs coal market data, analytics, and conferences globally. Directly comparable to globalCOAL's benchmark and data licensing business in physical coal markets.
• ICE (Intercontinental Exchange): ICE is both globalCOAL's distribution partner for financially settled coal futures and a broader commodity exchange operator with competing venue capabilities and benchmark administration for other commodities. Highly comparable exchange/benchmark infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Mercuria Energy Trading: Mercuria is a major independent commodities trader active in coal and other energy markets, and a globalCOAL market member. Comparable as a global seaborne coal trading counterpart that depends on globalCOAL's infrastructure and indices.

Others

• Trayport: Trayport provides the Global Vision trading platform that powers globalCOAL's marketplace. It is the technology backbone for globalCOAL's trading screen and a key infrastructure peer in commodity trading connectivity.
• SSY (Semapa Sigma Group): SSY is a shipping and commodities broker and a globalCOAL shareholder. Comparable as a coal-focused broker and counterparty on the platform, with overlap in bespoke brokerage and freight-linked coal services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/globalCOAL

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Coal