Verra’s January 2026 Stakeholder Webinar: From Blueprint to Delivery

In Verra’s January 2026 Stakeholder Update Webinar, CEO Mandy Rambharos opened with a message: 2025 was a year of “Progress and Stability.” 2026, she said, is about “Delivery and Scale.” For those tracking this space closely, that framing matters: it signals that the foundational work is done, and the market is now being asked to perform. 

Welcome back to VCM Update, Archeda’s ongoing editorial series where our team highlights the most important developments in the Voluntary Carbon Market, and with January marking the start of a new year, there's plenty to unpack. 

This recap is based on Verra's official January 2026 Stakeholder Update Webinar recap.

Verra Swings from a $19M Loss to Near Break-Even in One Year

Perhaps the most unexpected headline from this month's update wasn't a program launch or a technology milestone, it was financial. Verra went from a $19 million loss in 2024 to approximately $1 million in 2025, effectively cash-neutral, while cutting annual expenses by roughly one-third and growing revenue close to double digits year-over-year.

Here's a little backstory.

For years, Verra was the gatekeeper of the voluntary carbon market, but credit quality concerns began undermining buyer confidence, and a “persistent stream of negative or incomplete media coverage” distorted public perception of nature-based solutions and slowed climate finance flows. Leadership turned over and finances deteriorated alongside it.

So the turnaround Rambharos described is more than an accounting win — it gives Verra the runway to deliver on everything it has set out to do this year: the new registry built with S&P Global, the first-ever launch of the Scope 3 Standard, and REDD+ credits finally hitting the market under the new framework. The foundation has been reset, and now comes the build.
The most immediate proof of that will come in Q2 (April~June 2026), when Verra launches its new registry platform built with S&P Global.

New Registry is Weeks Away — Here's Why It Changes Everything

For those new to the VCM, the registry is essentially the ledger of record for every carbon credit, where projects are listed, credits are issued, and retirements are tracked. It's the infrastructure that the entire market runs on, which is why what's coming next matters beyond just a technology upgrade.

Back in our October 2025 recap, we flagged the S&P Global partnership as the headline for traders and financial intermediaries, pointing to its "transaction-ready APIs" as a signal that the VCM is being built to function more like a mature commodities market. That prediction is now closer to reality.

For a deeper dive into how we read that update, check out our full October 2025 recap.

Verra confirmed the new registry is in final testing, with a Q2 (April–June 2026) launch anticipated. The platform will feature two-way integration with the Verra Project Hub, expanded APIs for automated transfers and retirements, and better reporting tools for buyers. Critically, it will also lay the infrastructure for future Article 6 and CORSIA functionalities.

But infrastructure is only half the equation. The other half is speed — and on that front, Verra is pushing further than most expected.

Project Review Times Were Already Cut by 70% — Now Verra Wants 20% More

In our October 2025 recap, we highlighted the impact of the risk-based review system introduced in November 2024, with Pipeline listing times dropping by nearly 70%, NCS registration by over 40%, and E&I (Energy and Industry) registration by more than 60%. 

In practice, these reductions translate into registration-type reviews that were once estimated to take roughly 13–15 months now being completed in around 6–8 months. 

While Verra has not published direct before-and-after figures in absolute terms, working backward from its current SLA tables and the percentage reductions disclosed makes the scale of this shift clear.

Now, Verra is targeting an additional 20% reduction on top of these already compressed timelines, bringing the ceiling for NCS registration reviews to around 6 months and E&I registration reviews to roughly 5 months, with a goal of meeting these service-level agreements in 95% of cases. 

To achieve this, Verra plans further digitization of internal processes, automation of simpler review steps, standardized report exchanges with VVBs (Validation and Verification Bodies: the accredited independent auditors that assess project conformance before submission to Verra), and the introduction of a prioritization fee system enabling urgent submissions to be reviewed faster, with revenues reinvested to expand overall review capacity.

In practice, actual turnaround times are likely to be even faster, suggesting that the real ambition is not only greater speed but also improved predictability. 

For project developers, this trajectory is meaningful. The process is becoming faster and more predictable, which reduces one of the key friction points in bringing projects to market.

And for developers navigating that faster process, there's one more thing to get up to speed on.

VCS v5.0 is Live — Now Everyone Needs to Catch Up

In October 2025, VCS v5.0 — the latest version of Verra's Verified Carbon Standard, the core rulebook that governs how carbon projects are developed, verified, and credited — was still in its “final countdown.”

It has since been released in December 2025, and the 2026 priority is operationalization — updated templates, digital tools, and a training series starting February 4. No major program updates are planned for 2026, which signals stability and gives the market time to adapt to the new version without further disruption.

For a full breakdown of what changed, check out Verra's official release.

For corporate buyers, the more exciting development this month is about a program that's been years in the making finally arriving.

Scope 3 Standard Launch: Implications for Corporate Buyers and the Transition to S3S Version 2.0

We noted in our October 2025 stakeholder update that the Scope 3 Standard represented a potential shift away from generic offset purchasing toward genuine supply chain insetting, an idea that had long been conceptually attractive but largely impractical under existing frameworks. 

Recent developments suggest that transition is now beginning to take operational form. Version 1.0 of the S3S Program is scheduled to roll out in two phases during 2026. 

The first phase enables projects to formally enter the pipeline under an initial set of methodologies, while the second phase introduces full validation, registration, and issuance of Intervention Units (IUs) — certified units intended to allow corporations to account for emissions reductions generated within their own supply chains. Together, these phases establish the mechanics required to generate verified supply chain reductions at scale.

However, certification alone does not resolve the central challenge facing corporate adoption: determining which company can legitimately claim those reductions within Scope 3 reporting. 

Addressing this question marks the transition from Version 1.0 to Version 2.0.

While Version 1.0 focuses on certifying greenhouse gas reductions generated through supply chain interventions, Version 2.0 is intended to define how those reductions can be credibly reported by corporate actors. 

The core concept under development is the right-to-report (R2R). 

Under the current framework, intervention proponents (such as farmers, aggregators, or supply chain operators) can generate verified emissions reductions and receive intervention units. 

Certification, however, does not automatically establish claimability. Companies must demonstrate a verifiable connection to the affected product or activity within the value chain in order to report those reductions against Scope 3 targets. 

Establishing this linkage across diverse sectors and complex global supply chains presents significant methodological and governance challenges, which is why the issue has been deferred to a dedicated program version.

Alignment with established corporate reporting frameworks (the GHG Protocol and the SBTi), is equally central to the next phase. 

Corporate buyers are unlikely to adopt intervention units unless they are recognized within the systems already used for emissions accounting and target-setting. Without such interoperability, intervention units would effectively function as a parallel accounting mechanism with limited practical uptake. 

No detailed timeline has yet been published beyond confirmation that development work begins in 2026, consistent with earlier statements that further scheduling details will be released as framework design progresses. 

For a full overview of the program and what it covers, check out Verra's official Scope 3 Standard page.

The First REDD+ Credits Under the New Framework Are Almost Here

Risk maps for Brazilian states (Amazonas, Acre, Rondônia) were released in January 2026, with Colombia, Cambodia, Guatemala, and Mai Ndombe maps due by end of Q1 (March 2026). VM0048 (Verra's methodology for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) is expected to see its first credit issuances this year, alongside the first project under the Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ Framework. 

On the methodology side, an update to VMD0055 (a supporting module that estimates emission reductions from avoiding unplanned deforestation) is also coming in Q2, expanding eligibility to include sustainable forest management practices, while consultations on avoided planned deforestation and avoided unplanned degradation modules are expected to open later this year. As Verra put it, 2026 is when REDD+ moves from development into delivery.

Verra is also rolling out a unified CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system — essentially a centralized platform that tracks and coordinates all stakeholder interactions and requests across teams

24 Methodologies Digitized — Stakeholders Are Starting to Feel the Difference

The Project Hub now has 24 digitalized methodologies, with several more coming soon including ACM0001 (Landfill Gas), VM0008 (Weatherization), and VM0050 (Cookstoves). A stakeholder survey with 120 responses showed 70% neutral-to-positive satisfaction, with feedback pointing toward the need for better user-friendliness, fewer glitches, and tighter Registry-Hub integration — all of which are on the 2026 roadmap. 

Beyond the Project Hub, Verra is also rolling out a unified CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, which is a centralized platform that tracks and coordinates all stakeholder interactions and requests across teams, advancing AI-powered productivity tools, and building toward end-to-end digitalization of the entire project workflow including DMRV. This means less manual effort, more automation, and a faster path from project development to credit issuance.

Closing Thoughts

This year, Verra walked in with a clear, coherent agenda and the operational momentum to back it up. The risk-based review system introduced in November 2024 has already delivered dramatic reductions in pipeline listing and registration times — upward of 60–70% in some categories — and the new SLA framework announced at this webinar signals Verra's intent to make those gains permanent and measurable. The S&P Global registry partnership, first announced at the October webinar, is now in active testing and moving toward launch. What was a headline in October is becoming infrastructure.

For project developers, the trajectory is meaningful: faster reviews, clearer timelines, and a registry being rebuilt for higher-volume, more automated trading. VCS v5.0 is in its final countdown and expected before year-end, bringing significant updates to program integrity, additionality rules, grouped project requirements, and digital submission requirements. The window to absorb those changes before they affect active projects is narrowing.

For corporate buyers, the Scope 3 Standard is the one to watch. It opens the door to a different kind of buyer, with a different motivation for engaging with projects at the supply chain level. Phase 2 in mid-2026 is when it becomes real. We'll be tracking that development closely.

2025 has been a year of building. 2026 is when the market gets asked to stand on it. Whether it delivers is a separate question, and one worth watching carefully.

We'll see you again soon.

Have thoughts on today's update? Drop a comment below — we'd love to hear what you're focused on heading into 2026.