Effective date: 30 May 2026. Last revised: 28 October 2026. These are the current published terms for Carbon Trader® website and platform use.
Part 4 - Buyer, Escrow and Settlement Terms
1. Standard settlement pathway
From 28 October 2026 the seller chooses, for each listing, whether it sells with escrow or directly. These terms apply to every sale from a listing sold with escrow, every sale into a wanted request and every sale from a listing created before 28 October 2026. Each listing shows buyers, before they buy, whether it is escrow-protected or direct.
These terms do not apply to a direct sale. In a direct sale the buyer pays the seller and the seller transfers the units on the NZETR directly; Carbon Trader holds neither the money nor the units, is not a party, does not check payment or transfer and gives no protection (clause 15B of the Standard Terms).
2. Buyer funding
The buyer must pay cleared funds into Carbon Trader’s designated escrow / client settlement account by the due date and in the amount stated in the sale confirmation. Payment is by bank transfer against Carbon Trader’s invoice, using the reference on the invoice.
From 28 October 2026 a purchase from a listing must be paid within 7 days of the purchase, and the invoice falls due on that date. A buyer may hold no more than five unpaid purchases at a time. A wanted request is paid in full when the buyer funds it, and goes live to sellers only once it is funded.
From 9 October 2026 Carbon Trader issues the invoice for a purchase once the buyer's identity has been verified under clause 9 of the Standard Terms.
3. Seller transfer
Once cleared funds and settlement conditions are confirmed, Carbon Trader instructs the seller or authorised NZETR representative to transfer the agreed NZUs through the NZETR in accordance with settlement instructions. Units the seller holds in a Carbon Trader custody wallet are held in the wallet for the sale and need no transfer by the seller.
4. Carbon Trader NZETR custody
Where the sale confirmation requires it, NZUs may be transferred to Carbon Trader’s NZETR account as part of managed escrow. Carbon Trader will then complete onward transfer to the buyer in accordance with the sale confirmation.
5. Release of proceeds
Carbon Trader releases net sale proceeds to the seller after settlement conditions are satisfied. Agreed fees and pass-through costs may be deducted or invoiced. Carbon Trader does not release sale proceeds to a seller whose identity has not been verified under clause 9 of the Standard Terms. Where a sale is agreed and funded before the seller's identity is verified, the proceeds remain in escrow until it is.
From 9 October 2026 no success fee is deducted from the proceeds of a marketplace sale of NZUs. The seller's listing fee under clause 20.3B of the Standard Terms is invoiced separately and is not deducted from the proceeds.
From 28 October 2026 the seller pays an escrow fee of NZD $159.00 plus GST (NZD $182.85 including GST) on each completed sale under these terms, under clause 20.3C of the Standard Terms and section 2D of the Fee Schedule Policy. Carbon Trader deducts the escrow fee from the sale proceeds and pays the seller the balance. The buyer pays only the price of the units. A listing sold in parts to several buyers carries the escrow fee on each sale, and a sale whose value is less than the escrow fee cannot be made through escrow. No escrow fee is charged on a sale that does not complete, or on a sale from a listing created before 28 October 2026. This paragraph replaces the version dated 27 October 2026, under which the buyer paid the escrow fee.
6. Buyer default
If a buyer does not pay cleared funds within 7 days of the purchase, Carbon Trader cancels the purchase, voids the invoice and returns the units to the listing (or, where the listing has closed, to the seller), and the seller is not required to transfer NZUs. Carbon Trader may also cancel an unpaid purchase before then. No escrow fee is charged on a cancelled sale. The buyer may be liable for costs, fees or other consequences stated in the sale confirmation.
7. Seller default
If the seller does not transfer NZUs after buyer funds are received, Carbon Trader will not release the funds to the seller. Carbon Trader may pause, cancel, extend or otherwise manage the transaction under the sale confirmation and these Terms.
8. Disputes and holds
Carbon Trader may hold funds or credits where there is a dispute, suspected fraud, AML/CFT concern, sanctions issue, registry issue, bank recall, court order, regulator request, cyber incident, identity concern or conflicting instruction. Carbon Trader may also hold funds or credits while the identity of a party to the transaction is unverified.
9. No unauthorised access
Carbon Trader will not ask for the seller’s NZETR login credentials or RealMe credentials.
10. Completion statement
After completion, Carbon Trader may issue a completion statement showing transaction details, fees, GST, pass-through costs, net proceeds and evidence references.
11. Refunds
If a funded wanted request is cancelled, including by Carbon Trader, or closes before a seller sells into it, the buyer's funds are refunded. Money that reaches Carbon Trader for a purchase or wanted request that has already been cancelled is refunded to the payer. Refunds are made by bank transfer and recorded against the transaction.