A boutique private lending platform founded by former CreditSuisse bankers, ArtCap Strategies, has provided $25 million ton support Carbon Management Limited, the project sponsor leading The Bahama’s efforts to develop, manage and trade blue carbon credits.
The funding will support the country’s strategy to develop, certify, and monetize its vast blue carbon assets, positioning The Bahamas as a global leader in ocean-based climate finance. It will finance the initial stages of the Bahamas Blue Carbon Program–including ecosystem mapping, scientific validation, and the establishment of carbon baselines. These will support the update of The Bahamas’ Enhanced NDC 3.0 and form the foundation for the future issuance of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (“ITMOs”) under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
“This transaction exemplifies how innovative financial structures can mobilize private capital toward high-impact climate initiatives,” said Antonio Navarro, Managing Partner of ArtCap Strategies. “The Bahamas’ blue carbon program is setting a global precedent for how natural assets can be transformed into sustainable sources of national development financing.”
This initial investment aims to serve as a catalyst for conservation and sustainable growth-protecting critical coastal ecosystems while unlocking a scalable, revenue-generating model that supports The Bahamas’ broader development agenda. Over the next five years, the country is expected to generate substantial revenues from the sale of high-integrity blue carbon credits. These will be derived from the conservation and restoration of seagrass meadows-ecosystems estimated to represent 41% of the world’s known seagrass coverage and sequester a substantial amount of carbon annually.
The resulting revenues will reinforce The Bahamas’ climate resilience and biodiversity objectives but will also fund investments in infrastructure, social development, and community programs, creating a link between environmental stewardship and national prosperity.
“Blue carbon development is not only a climate imperative-it is a generational opportunity for The Bahamas,” said Anthony Ferguson, Director of Carbon Management Limited. “Through this Facility, we are turning our natural capital into a sustainable source of financing for national development, social programs, and climate resilience.””
