Holborn Trading

What Holborn Trading does

Holborn Trading is a London-headquartered independent brokerage that intermediates trades in renewable energy certificates and carbon credits on behalf of buyers, sellers, and project developers. Founded in 2017 by James Smith and Walid Rechache, both former environmental commodities traders at inter-dealer brokerages in New York and Amsterdam, the firm operates as a name give-up broker that never takes live positions, aligning its economics with client transaction outcomes rather than proprietary P&L. Its product surface spans eight certificate and carbon instruments — ROCs, REGOs, RGGOs, Biomethane, I-RECs, GoOs, Voluntary Carbon credits, and Low Carbon Financing — covering both UK-regulated compliance markets and broader European and international voluntary markets.

The firm's underlying technology centers on a proprietary Renewable Energy Certificate Pricing Screen, a real-time market data and charting platform that complements the broker-led workflow. Beyond this screen, the technology footprint is deliberately light: standard web analytics (Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag) and a CRM-style direct-sales pipeline, with the firm's real value creation residing in broker expertise, network effects, and regulatory fluency rather than software automation. The pricing screen is offered via free trial request and positions the firm to evolve from pure intermediation toward a hybrid data-plus-brokerage revenue model.

Holborn Trading earns revenue on a transaction-fee basis — commissions on each matched certificate trade — with an additional, still-early monetization path through the Pricing Screen subscription. Go-to-market is sales-led via phone, email, website contact forms, and LinkedIn outreach by an 8-person team that speaks 7 languages and covers all major European markets. Customers are segmented horizontally across energy suppliers, renewable generators, traders, corporate buyers, financial institutions, and project developers, with a stated base of 150+ clients and 5 TWh per month traded in the REGO market. The firm is founder-owned, privately held, and has not disclosed external institutional funding.

Name

Holborn Trading

Legal name

Holborn Trading Limited

Website

https://holborntrading.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Holborn Trading is a London-based independent broker intermediating trades in renewable energy certificates (ROCs, REGOs, RGGOs, I-RECs, GoOs, Biomethane) and voluntary carbon credits for energy suppliers, generators, corporate buyers, traders, and project developers across the UK and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Certificate Brokerage

NAICS

Commodity Contracts Intermediation (52316), Commodity Contracts Intermediation (523160), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUABADAB

Carbon Credit Brokerage & Trading (Spot, Forward, Structured Products)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Carbon & Climate Solutions (Carbon Markets, Offsets, CCS/CCUS)/Carbon Advisory, Brokerage & Portfolio Management

SECONDARYEUAGAIAD

Carbon Credit Brokerage & Intermediation (Voice/Electronic)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Energy Trading, Marketing & Retail Supply/Environmental Commodities Trading (Emissions Allowances, Offsets)

SECONDARYEUABADAE

Carbon Offtake Structuring & Contracting (ERPA, Long-term Offtakes, Price Floors)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Carbon & Climate Solutions (Carbon Markets, Offsets, CCS/CCUS)/Carbon Advisory, Brokerage & Portfolio Management

Keywords

• Renewable energy certificates
• Carbon credit brokerage
• Environmental commodities trading
• Guarantees of origin
• Voluntary carbon market

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Brokerage Commission on Certificate Trading: Acts as independent name give-up broker facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers of renewable energy certificates (ROCs, REGOs, RGGOs, I-RECs, GoOs) and voluntary carbon credits. Earns commission on each transaction. Never takes live positions, aligning client interests with broker outcomes.
2. Low Carbon Financing Facilitation: Connects project developers with institutional and private capital investors for low carbon projects. Facilitates financing arrangements for renewable energy and voluntary carbon market projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Holborn Trading operates as an independent name give-up brokerage that facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers of renewable energy certificates (ROCs, REGOs, RGGOs, Biomethane, I-RECs, GoOs) and voluntary carbon credits across the UK and Europe. The firm also connects project developers with institutional and private capital for low carbon financing and offers a proprietary Pricing Screen platform delivering real-time market data, charts, and news for certificate trading decisions.

Product overview

Holborn Trading operates as a broker/dealer platform offering nine distinct renewable energy certificate and carbon credit trading products. The core offering consists of certificate brokerage services for UK and international markets: ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates), REGOs (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin), RGGOs (Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin), I-RECs (International Renewable Energy Certificates), GoOs (Guarantees of Origin), Biomethane, Voluntary Carbon, and Low Carbon Financing. Additionally, the company provides a proprietary Pricing Screen tool as a premium data service that delivers real-time market intelligence. The products are interconnected through their brokerage model, where the company facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers across the renewable energy and carbon credit markets, leveraging a network of 150+ clients and deep policy expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) Proof that electricity has been generated from renewable sources. Energy suppliers collect these certificates to meet government Renewables Obligation targets, with failure to do so resulting in buy-out penalties. Brokered to UK licensed suppliers for compliance.
• Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) Certification that verifies the energy comes from 100% renewable sources, serving as a green energy passport for consumers and businesses to make informed choices. Brokered across UK and Europe.
• Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) Certificates that signify the renewable origin of gas consumption, ensuring gas usage supports environmental sustainability and advances the transition to a greener economy.
• Biomethane Certificates

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ACT Group: ACT Group is an environmental commodities trader and broker focused on carbon credits and renewable energy certificates, providing market access and advisory services. It is comparable to Holborn Trading in product type, customer base (corporates and utilities), and trading desk structure, with a broader international footprint.
• Carbon Growth Partners: Carbon Growth Partners is an advisory and brokerage firm operating in voluntary carbon markets, advising corporates on portfolio acquisition and project development. It overlaps with Holborn Trading's Voluntary Carbon brokerage and Low Carbon Financing facilitation services.
• Evolution Markets: Evolution Markets is an environmental commodities brokerage that intermediates trades in renewable energy certificates, carbon credits, and energy efficiency markets globally. It is a direct peer to Holborn Trading, operating on the same independent broker model with similar product coverage and a comparable client base of generators, utilities, and corporates.
• Vertis Environmental Finance: Vertis Environmental Finance is a specialist broker in environmental markets, including EU and international carbon allowances, Kyoto credits, and renewable energy certificates. It directly competes with Holborn Trading on brokerage for carbon credits and GoOs, with a similar intermediation-only business model.
• Vlinder Environmental Markets Brokerage: Vlinder is a specialist broker in carbon and renewable energy certificates across Europe, focused on intermediation in compliance markets. It is a direct peer to Holborn Trading with overlapping product coverage (EUAs, CERs, RECs) and a similar boutique brokerage model.

Emerging players

• Climate Impact X: Climate Impact X is an exchange and marketplace for voluntary carbon credits, with growing liquidity and standardized contracts. It is an emerging player that competes with Holborn Trading's voluntary carbon brokerage by offering direct exchange access, potentially reducing disintermediation risk to the broker model.
• South Pole Group: South Pole is a climate solutions provider that develops, brokers, and retires carbon credits while also advising corporates on net-zero strategies. It is an emerging player with both project origination and brokerage capabilities, partially overlapping with Holborn Trading's voluntary carbon and low carbon financing services.

Broad incumbents

• Marex: Marex is a global diversified financial services platform offering brokerage across commodities, energy, and environmental markets. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Holborn Trading in environmental commodities and has materially deeper balance-sheet capacity and distribution.
• TP ICAP: TP ICAP is a global inter-dealer broker with energy and commodities desks covering environmental products. It is a broad incumbent peer with established infrastructure, voice-brokered desks, and electronic platforms that compete with Holborn Trading's value proposition in environmental markets.
• Tradition: Tradition is a global inter-dealer broker with energy and environmental desks serving the same client base as Holborn Trading. Its breadth and global infrastructure make it a broad incumbent peer for any specialist renewal energy certificate broker.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holborntrading

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Holborn Trading