The EU ESG Ratings Regulation: Rating Agencies Now Need Approval
What the EU ESG Ratings Regulation introduces — ESMA authorisation of rating providers from July 2026 — and what direct supervision means for raters and rated GCC companies.
Insights · Page 2
Analysis on UAE and GCC ESG, climate risk, and assurance.
Practitioner perspectives on regulatory developments, methodology questions, and the issues we see most often in client work — written by senior team members actively delivering engagements across the Gulf.
2026
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Top Carbon Credit Registries Compared
A comparison of the main carbon credit registries — Verra, Gold Standard, ACR, Climate Action Reserve and Puro.earth — what each specialises in, and how to choose.
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How to Register a Carbon Project: The Full Lifecycle
A step-by-step guide to registering a carbon-credit project — from methodology and PDD to validation, registration, verification and issuance — and how long each stage takes.
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ESG Ratings Explained: MSCI, Sustainalytics, S&P and EcoVadis
Who the main ESG rating agencies are, what each measures, how their scoring differs, and why GCC companies need to understand the raters that judge them.
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ITMOs Explained: Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes
What ITMOs are under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, how they are authorised and transferred, the role of corresponding adjustments, and why the GCC is an active player.
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Article 6 of the Paris Agreement: The Global Carbon Markets Explained
What Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is, how Article 6.2 and 6.4 work, what COP29 agreed, and how corresponding adjustments prevent double-counting of international credits.
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The Changing ESG Rating Landscape: 2026 Updates and Consolidation
How the ESG rating landscape is shifting in 2026 — MSCI's model update, the withdrawal of public score databases, and consolidation among the agencies.
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TCFD for GCC Financial Institutions: Still the Foundation
What the TCFD recommendations are, how they underpin IFRS S2, and why their four-pillar framework remains the foundation of climate disclosure for GCC financial institutions.
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How to Buy, Claim and Retire Carbon Credits
A practical guide to buying carbon credits: sourcing quality credits, retiring them on a registry, avoiding double-counting, and making credible claims under the VCMI Claims Code.
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IFRS S2 for Banks: Climate Disclosure for the Financial Sector
What IFRS S2 requires of banks, why financed emissions and scenario analysis are the hard parts, and how GCC financial institutions should prepare.