RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, October 23, 2025 – The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, a global nonprofit foundation with an investment arm, is announcing a strategic partnership with the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), the first platform of its kind in the MENA region established by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Tadawul Group (STG). The partnership comes ahead of the 9th edition of the FII Institute flagship conference (FII9) in Riyadh from October 27–30, 2025, where global leaders from government, business, and academia will gather under the theme “The Key to Prosperity: Unlocking New Frontiers of Growth.”
Richard Attias, Chairman of the Executive Committee and Acting CEO of FII Institute, said: “Carbon markets are essential for bridging the gap between today’s emissions and tomorrow’s net zero goals. Together with the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), we will work to unlock capital into projects that restore ecosystems, create jobs, and build new industries.”
Fadi Saadeh, Acting CEO of the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company, added: “Our partnership with the FII Institute will bring the global spotlight to the Kingdom’s ambition and leadership towards meaningful climate action. Through this partnership, we will engage international stakeholders in scaling voluntary carbon markets and unlocking new opportunities for climate finance.”
The partnership will accelerate the growth of high-integrity carbon credit markets by connecting global buyers and suppliers and mobilizing investment in projects that reduce, remove, and offset emissions. By combining VCM’s role as a regional hub with FII Institute’s global convening power, the collaboration highlights carbon markets as critical tools for achieving net zero while driving green economic diversification in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
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About FII Institute
The FII Institute is a global nonprofit foundation with an investment arm and one agenda: Impact on Humanity. Through its THINK, XCHANGE, and ACT pillars, the Institute fosters great ideas, empowers innovators, and invests in scalable solutions across critical sectors including AI and robotics, sustainability, healthcare, and education.
For more information, please visit: https://fii-institute.org/
For media inquiries, please contact media@fii-institute.org
About VCM
VCM was established by Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Tadawul Group Holding Company (Saudi Tadawul Group) in October 2022. PIF holds an 80% stake and Tadawul Group holds a 20% stake in the company. VCM is aiming to create a credible voluntary carbon market at speed and at scale with global impact. The market prioritizes high-quality carbon credits and positive climate action. The company is creating an ecosystem that includes an investment fund for climate mitigation projects, an exchange for the trading of voluntary carbon credits, and advisory services that help organizations understand how to decarbonize.
In October 2022, VCM hosted its first auction at the sixth Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh. In June 2023, VCM successfully auctioned 2.2 million tons of voluntary carbon credits in the largest-ever carbon credit sale in Nairobi, Kenya. In October 2023, VCM and PIF hosted the world’s first Global South Carbon Market Conference at FII7 in Riyadh. In November 2024, VCM launched the biggest carbon credits exchange in the region on the sidelines of COP29, while auctioning over 2.5 million tons of voluntary carbon credits in its 3rd auction. Since its inception, VCM has now transacted over 10 million carbon credits through our platform.
Follow the company on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/voluntarycarbonmarket/
Follow VCM on X: https://twitter.com/vcm_en
View the website: vcm.sa
