Xpansiv Secures Major Investment from Aramco Ventures • Carbon Credits

Xpansiv, a leading provider of market infrastructure for the global energy transition, has finalized a new capital raise led by Aramco Ventures, a major investor in low-carbon energy and sustainability, along with existing investors. This investment will help further develop Xpansiv’s global energy and environmental markets infrastructure solutions and support the company’s investment and acquisition strategy.

Strengthening Market Infrastructure for Sustainable Growth

Xpansiv runs the largest spot exchange for environmental commodities, including carbon credits and renewable energy certificates. As the premier provider of registry infrastructure for energy, power, and environmental markets, Xpansiv also operates the largest independent platform for managing and selling solar renewable energy credits in North America.

Aramco Ventures is the corporate venturing subsidiary of Aramco, the world’s leading fully integrated energy and chemical enterprise. Headquartered in Dhahran, Aramco’s investments primarily support Aramco’s operational decarbonization, new lower-carbon fuels businesses, and digital transformation initiatives. 

The investment from Aramco Ventures is part of its Sustainability Fund, which focuses on companies that can support Aramco’s goal of achieving net zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions across its wholly owned and operated assets by 2050. This aligns with Aramco’s broader sustainability objectives and commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

In 2023, the oil major’s Scope 1 emissions decreased by 2.4% compared to 2022, primarily due to lower hydrocarbon production and a revised CO2 venting emissions methodology for gas processing operations, leading to more accurate accounting. 

Conversely, Scope 2 emissions increased by 13.0% compared to the previous year. The company said it’s mainly due to the inclusion of the Jazan Refinery in the 2023 greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

As part of its decarbonizing efforts, the oil giant recently invested in a US-based direct air capture (DAC) company, CarbonCapture. Moreover, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, Aramco partnered with ADNOC to launch ambitious lithium extraction projects.  

Aramco Ventures also operates Prosperity7, the company’s disruptive technologies investment program. Daniel Carter, Managing Director at Aramco Ventures, emphasized the significance of robust market infrastructure in driving the global energy transition. He noted, 

“We recognize the importance of markets to drive the global energy transition at pace, and further recognize Xpansiv’s core position as the innovator of new trading products, marketplaces, and institutional-grade market infrastructure to enable these vital markets to flourish and scale.”

Leading the Charge in Environmental Commodities and Market Integration

John Melby, Chief Executive Officer of Xpansiv, expressed his satisfaction with Aramco’s investment, stating: 

“We are pleased to receive this investment from Aramco Ventures and existing investors, which not only represents significant support for our organic and acquisition-driven strategy, but also our shared belief in the pivotal role of market infrastructure in accelerating investment in the global energy transition.”

Xpansiv continues to expand its suite of solutions for the global energy transition markets. The company recently launched its Xpansiv Connect™, an open-access market infrastructure which facilitates efficient trading and market operations. This strategic investment will enable Xpansiv to further enhance its capabilities and support the broader push towards sustainable energy solutions.

Xpansiv manages over 1 billion asset transfers annually through its SaaS meta registry and portfolio management system at the core of Xpansiv Connect. This system is integrated with 13 leading carbon and renewable energy registries worldwide.

Xpansiv’s registry software supports more than 80% of global carbon credits and 60% of North American renewable energy certificates (RECs). This along with new environmental commodities such as digital fuels. Its CBL spot exchange holds over 90% global market share of exchange-traded and settled carbon credits.

• In 2023, nearly 2 billion metric tons of carbon and over 36 million megawatt hours of renewable energy were transacted by Xpansiv market intermediaries. 

The company has completed 11 acquisitions and strategic investments recently, including a notable investment in Evident, a leading clean economy registry provider and certification body. This investment highlights Xpansiv’s support for the growing international renewable energy certificate (I-REC) market and emerging instruments. These include sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), green hydrogen, biomethane, and carbon removals.

Xpansiv’s investors include prominent names such as Aramco Ventures, Blackstone Group, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Macquarie Group Ltd., S&P Global Ventures, Aware Super, BP Ventures, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and the Australian Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

By leveraging the new capital raise, Xpansiv will continue to lead in the environmental commodities sector, fostering innovation and efficiency in carbon credits and renewable energy market solutions, crucial for achieving sustainable energy goals and reducing global carbon emissions.