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Standard Chartered signs deal with Brazilian forest credit authority

Standard Chartered will sell millions of credits to protect the Amazon rainforest for the Brazilian state Acre, as part of its efforts to expand the carbon credit business and build trust in a nascent industry.

Standard Chartered said that its agreement with Acre to sell exclusively forest carbon credits over a five-year period is the first time a major international financial institution has worked in such a way to support the conservation of forests.

The involvement of the bank could give legitimacy to a market that has been struggling in recent months, after Brazilian prosecutors sought to cancel a similar $180m carbon offset scheme due to concerns over forward contracts and rights of local communities.

Chris Leeds, the head of development of carbon markets at the bank said: "We do everything we can to make sure that these credits are of high quality and reduce a tonne carbon." It is a complicated process.

The project will generate up to five million credits by 2026 and bring in up to 150 million dollars.

Carbon credit projects which claim to prevent deforestation were scrutinized in the past due to the difficulty in proving the number of trees that the projects prevented from being cut down.

Forest carbon credits generated at the national or state level are aimed at reducing deforestation-related emissions. These credits are specifically designed to reduce the possibility that projects will overstate their carbon-reduction benefits.

Local and indigenous community are to receive 72% net funds generated by state. They have participated in a consultation process whose main phase began in May 2025.

Leeds said that unlike Para's agreement, Acre's does not involve a sale in advance. Leeds added that "there is no obligation on our part to buy the credits today." This is the difference. In July, several Brazilian states signed agreements with the State of Piaui to protect large swathes of forests in exchange for investment. (Reporting and editing by Virginia Furness)

(source: Reuters)