Buyer Guide
Buyers on the NCRB marketplace purchase tokenized real-world asset credits — carbon offsets, biodiversity credits, renewable energy certificates, and more. Purchases are instant, on-chain, and verifiable. When you retire a credit, a permanent record is created on the blockchain — your auditable proof of environmental action.
Prerequisites
For Browsing (No Wallet Required)
You can browse all active listings, filter by asset type, country, SDG goals, quality band, and price without connecting a wallet.
For Purchasing
You need:
- MetaMask installed — see Install MetaMask
- The correct network added — Avalanche or XRPL EVM
- USDC in your wallet on the same network as the listing — see Add USDC
- A small amount of native gas token (AVAX or XRP) to pay transaction fees
- A registered and active account — your wallet address must be registered in the
AccountManagercontract. Contact NCRB to register as a buyer.
Browsing the Marketplace
Go to the Trading section of the NCRB dApp to see all active listings.
Filtering Listings
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Asset Type | Carbon, Plastic, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Land, Mining, Water, Renewable Energy, Forestry, Biodiversity |
| Quality Band | AAA, AA, A, BBB |
| Country | Country of the underlying project |
| Vintage | Year range (e.g. 2020–2024) |
| SDG Goals | Filter by UN Sustainable Development Goals the project contributes to |
| Price | Min / max price per unit |
Sorting Listings
- Price — lowest or highest first
- Quality Score — highest rated first
- Vintage — newest or oldest first
- Listing ID — chronological order
View Modes
- Grid — visual card layout with key stats
- List — compact table view for comparing many listings
- Map — geographic view of where projects are located (coming soon)
Understanding a Listing
Each listing shows:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Asset Type | The type of natural capital credit |
| Serial Number | The registry's unique certificate identifier |
| Registry | The organisation that issued and verified the certificate |
| Quality Score & Band | 0–100 score and rating (AAA → BBB) |
| Vintage | Year the environmental benefit was generated |
| Country | Where the project is located |
| Quantity Available | How many units are for sale |
| Price per Unit | In USDC |
| SDG Goals | UN SDGs the project contributes to |
| IPFS Document | Link to the original verified certificate |
Buying Credits
Step 1 — Connect Your Wallet
- Click Connect Wallet in the top navigation
- Select MetaMask in the connection modal
- Approve the connection in MetaMask
- Make sure your active network matches the listing's network
Step 2 — Select a Listing
- Browse or search for the credit you want to buy
- Click on a listing to open the detail view
- Review the quality score, certificate document (IPFS link), and project details
Step 3 — Choose Quantity
- Click Buy
- Enter how many units you want to purchase
- The total cost in USDC is calculated automatically
- Check that you have sufficient USDC balance (shown in the buy modal)
Step 4 — Approve USDC
Before your first purchase (or if your USDC allowance is too low), you need to approve the marketplace contract to spend your USDC:
- The portal will show an Approve USDC button if needed
- Click it — MetaMask will prompt you to sign an ERC-20 approval transaction
- Confirm in MetaMask and wait for confirmation
This is a one-time step per network. Future purchases on the same network will not require re-approval unless you buy more than the approved amount.
Step 5 — Confirm Purchase
- Click Confirm Purchase
- MetaMask prompts you to sign the
RWAMarketplace.buy()transaction - Confirm in MetaMask
The marketplace contract:
- Transfers your USDC to the seller (minus the 2.5% platform fee)
- Transfers the RWA tokens to your wallet
- Records the trade on-chain
Settlement is instant — tokens arrive in your wallet in the same transaction.
After Purchasing
View Your Holdings
Go to MyNCRB → Dashboard to see:
- Total RWA tokens held by asset type
- Portfolio value in USD (based on real-time oracle prices)
- Environmental impact metrics (tCO₂e offset, kg plastic, etc.)
Go to MyNCRB → Portfolio for a detailed breakdown:
- Holdings by asset type with allocation percentages
- Value per holding in USD
- Environmental impact by category
Selling Credits
If you want to sell credits you hold:
- Go to Trading → My Listings
- Click Create Listing
- Select the token, set quantity and price per unit
- Click List — MetaMask will prompt you to approve the token transfer to escrow and sign the listing transaction
- Your listing appears in the marketplace immediately
To cancel a listing:
- Go to Trading → My Listings
- Find your listing and click Cancel
- Confirm in MetaMask — tokens are returned to your wallet
Retiring Credits
Retiring a credit means permanently removing it from circulation — the token is burned and your claim is recorded on-chain. This is the step that creates your auditable proof of environmental action for ESG reporting, SBTi claims, or VCMI compliance.
Retirement functionality is available through the MyNCRB → Dashboard. The BuyerClaimsRegistry contract records:
- Your wallet address
- The certificate serial number retired
- The standard claimed (e.g. VCS, GS4GG)
- The timestamp
This record is permanent and publicly verifiable.
Platform Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Trading fee | 2.5% of the purchase price, deducted from the seller's proceeds |
| Gas fee | Variable — paid in AVAX (Avalanche) or XRP (XRPL EVM) |
There is no fee to browse listings or create a buyer account.
Supported Standards
Credits on NCRB are verified against industry standards including:
- ICVCM Core Carbon Principles (CCP) — carbon credit integrity
- Verra VCS / Gold Standard / ACR / CAR — carbon registry verification
- SBTi Net-Zero Standard — science-based targets alignment
- VCMI Claims Code — Silver, Gold, and Platinum buyer claims
- UK Biodiversity Metric 4.0 — biodiversity net gain
- Kunming-Montreal GBF — global biodiversity framework
For a full list of supported standards by asset type, see the Asset Types FAQ.