Are Marketplace Fees Eating Into Your Compliance Budget?

Here's a question worth asking before you sign up to any marketplace: how much will it cost me before I've traded a single tonne?

Onboarding charges, subscriptions, per-listing costs and minimum fees can add to your budget before you have secured a suitable deal. FuelEU compliance carries enough cost uncertainty without having to work out what marketplace access will cost.

CyberSmart Smart Marketplace takes a different approach. There is no joining or standing membership fee. Its platform fee applies when the definitive FuelEU pool allocation is recorded.

Here's what you pay, when you pay it, and what you don't.

Marketplace Charges That Add to Your Fleet's Compliance Costs

Before choosing a FuelEU marketplace, check whether charges apply to joining, subscriptions, listings or quotations.

Not every provider charges for these services. Where charges apply, consider what your company receives in return and whether you must pay even if no allocation takes place.

Each charge may seem small on its own. Together, they can create an expense that your team needs to account for alongside the surplus purchase price.

The better question is simple: what triggers the marketplace fee, and what happens if the proposed deal does not result in an allocation?

A clear answer helps your commercial and finance teams assess the commitment before approving it.

What's Included at No Cost on Smart Marketplace

Start with what's free. On Smart Marketplace, you pay nothing for:

• Joining the platform.
• Admission checks.
• Buying and selling access.
• Creating listings.
• Sending and receiving quotations.
• Contract document management.
• Payment-milestone records.
• Standard security and standard exports.

There is no membership fee and no standing fee. Ordinary access includes five users per company.

Once your company completes the admission requirements and trading is enabled, your team can browse opportunities, list a surplus or deficit requirement, and negotiate without those platform access charges.

For a shipping company exploring its options, this means access costs do not have to come before assessing whether an opportunity fits the fleet.

When the Smart Marketplace Fee Applies

The Smart Marketplace platform fee is €1 per tCO₂e allocated under your deal, excluding VAT. The buyer pays the fee on its side, and the seller pays a separate fee on its side.

The key point is the timing.

The fee is earned when the selected pool verifier records the definitive pool allocation in the FuelEU database. The following events do not trigger that fee:

• Accepting an offer.
• Signing a contract.
• Paying a deposit.
• Nominating a vessel.
• Creating a listing, quotation or reservation without an allocation.

If nothing is allocated, the platform allocation fee is €0. If part of the agreed quantity is allocated, the fee applies to that quantity.

Take-or-pay amounts, forfeited deposits, penalties and damages do not create a platform allocation fee. If an official correction reduces the allocation, a corresponding credit applies.

This gives your team a defined basis for calculating the platform charge.

What It Looks Like in Real Numbers

Take a larger example: a buyer and seller agree on 10,000 tCO₂e at €200 per tCO₂e. The purchase price is €2,000,000, paid from buyer to seller under their contract. If the full 10,000 tCO₂e is allocated, CyberSmart's fee is €10,000 for the buyer and €10,000 for the seller, excluding VAT.

If no allocation takes place, the Smart Marketplace allocation fee is zero. Any other payment obligations depend on the parties' contract.

Your Purchase Money Stays Between Buyer and Seller

Fees are one concern. The other is who handles the money.

On Smart Marketplace, the agreed purchase price is paid between buyer and seller, bank to bank. CyberSmart invoices its platform fee and does not deduct it from the surplus purchase payment.

The platform does not hold deposits or act as escrow.

You choose your counterparty, negotiate your price and review your contract. Your company remains responsible for assessing the commercial risk, confirming bank details and completing its checks.

Keeping the purchase payment separate from the platform fee helps finance teams distinguish the two commitments.

Clear Marketplace Fees for Your Fleet's Budget

A fee that is hard to calculate creates work for the people managing the compliance budget.

Smart Marketplace uses a defined rate:

• No minimum fee: The same €1 per tCO₂e rate applies to small and large allocations.
• No volume tiers or annual cap: The rate does not change with trading volume.
• Defined invoicing: Fees are invoiced monthly once uninvoiced fees reach €25, or at the end of the quarter for smaller amounts. Payment is due within 14 days.
• Invoice review: You have 30 days to dispute an invoice. Undisputed amounts remain payable by the due date.
• Notice of changes: Fee changes require 30 days' notice and your acceptance. The rate accepted for a deal applies until that deal is completed.

These terms help your team forecast the platform fee and plan for its payment.

Five Questions to Ask Any FuelEU Marketplace

Whatever platform you consider, ask:

1. 1Is there a joining, onboarding or membership fee?
2. 2What charges apply if no allocation takes place?
3. 3Is the transaction fee triggered by signing, payment or official allocation?
4. 4Is there a minimum fee, a volume tier or a cap?
5. 5Does the platform hold or handle the surplus purchase money?

Use the answers to compare the same requirement across providers.

Consider the complete proposal: surplus price, platform fees, third-party services, payment conditions and contract obligations. A suitable marketplace should give your team enough information to assess what it is committing to.

Smart Marketplace's Role in Your FuelEU Deal

Smart Marketplace supports the commercial side of your fleet's FuelEU arrangements, from finding surplus buyers or sellers to negotiating terms and documenting agreements.

Official FuelEU pooling, verifier checks and allocation in the FuelEU database follow a separate process. The platform does not carry out these steps or guarantee that a counterparty will meet its contractual obligations.

Explore FuelEU Opportunities Without a Joining Fee

Your fleet needs access to suitable opportunities and a clear understanding of the associated costs.

With no joining or standing membership fee, Smart Marketplace lets your company explore those opportunities before an allocation-based platform charge arises.