Ex-banker crosses the Rubicon to build carbon sector

The emissions offset sector is getting a new player in Rubicon Carbon — flush with $300 million in private equity cash from TPG, and being led into the carbon-credit market by two former top Bank of America executives.

• The chair of the board is Anne Finucane, BofA’s former vice chair, who has long experience with socially responsible investing.
• The CEO is Tom Montag, who retired last year as the bank’s chief operating officer.

Why it matters: As the private sector moves to tackle climate change, major companies are looking to voluntary credits to help offset their carbon footprints.

• Finucane has been an advocate for sustainable finance through her career, including working with the UN and World Bank.

Zoom out: The Wall Street Journal notes that the development of the carbon credit sector — and by extension, efforts to curb climate change — is increasingly reliant on private capital, especially with governments falling short on their climate commitments.

The bottom line: TPG’s Rubicon investment, and the firm being led by someone with Finucane’s financial and environmental cachet, is a sign of how the finance and environmental sectors are becoming increasingly intertwined.