System and method for carbon credit trading

A networked system for computerized creation and trading of securitized environmental offset credits tradable in a registered securities exchange, the system comprising:

• an online trading platform comprising a processor, a memory device, at least one user interface, and a network connection operatively coupled together;
• a structured database arranged in the memory device and configured to store registration information received over the network connection and processed by said processor, said registration information being related to one or more environmental offset credits registered to respective owners thereof;
• wherein the processor is configured:
• responsive to a user input received over the user interface, to request equitization of at least a portion of the one or more environmental offset credits with a securities regulator via the network,
• to receive, over the network from the securities regulator, one or more unique identifiers associated with the equitized one or more environmental offset credits,
• to store the received one or more unique identifiers in the structured database, and
• to designate, over the network, an associated custodian for each of the equitized one or more environmental offset credits and to store the associated custodians in the structured database for each of the equitized one or more environmental offset credits.

An article of manufacture comprising a tangible computer-readable medium therein, said computer-readable medium containing computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer processor, cause the processor to carry out functions related to creating and trading securitized environmental offset credits in a registered securities exchange, the functions comprising:

• registering, in a structured database in a memory device, one or more environmental offset credits to respective owners thereof;
• requesting equitization of at least a portion of the one or more environmental offset credits by a securities regulator;
• storing, for each equitized one or more environmental offset credits, a unique identifier supplied by the securities regulator in the structured database;
• and
• assigning, to a custodian, custody of the equitized one or more environmental offset credits in the database.