Vilnius-based InSoil has announced a €100M partnership with Canada’s Key Carbon to accelerate regenerative agriculture adoption across European farmland.
Founded in 2021 by Laimonas Noreika, InSoil (formerly HeavyFinance) is a climate finance company that has already deployed over €80M in financing to over 3,000 farmers across Europe.
Through the multi-year agreement, Key Carbon has secured the right to invest over €100M into InSoil’s zero-interest Green Loans programme, providing vital financing to small and medium-sized farms transitioning to regenerative agricultural practices.
Additionally, Key Carbon has made a €3.7M investment in a royalty agreement to scale InSoil’s operations across one million hectares of European farmland by 2026.
The partnership aims to enable the sequestration of over 35 million tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, marking one of Europe’s largest financial commitments to climate-resilient farming practices.
InSoil’s Green Loans financing model offers zero-interest loans to farmers adopting regenerative agricultural practices in return for a fixed share of carbon credits.
Addressing agriculture’s emissions contribution
With conventional agriculture accounting for more than 20 per cent of global emissions, the collaboration focuses on unlocking funds that help farmers generate high-quality, nature-based carbon credits.
These credits are scientifically validated and third-party verified in alignment with the EU Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF).
InSoil’s Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework employs laboratory-grade soil sampling, advanced remote sensing technologies, and expert agronomic assessments to ensure accurate carbon credit generation.
Key Carbon’s track record in climate finance
Founded in 2021 as Carbon Neutral Royalty and rebranded as Key Carbon in 2023, the company operates as a permanent capital vehicle building a large, diversified portfolio of high-integrity carbon credit streams.
To date, Key Carbon has financed 25 projects in 15 countries, resulting in the removal or avoidance of over 41 million tonnes of carbon and the planting of 3.75 million trees. The company has also built the largest pan-African clean cooking developer, Global Cookstoves, funding cookstove distribution to an estimated 7.5 million people.
Laimonas Noreika, CEO of InSoil, says, “As farmers across Europe face headwinds from climate change and global regulatory dynamics, financial and agronomic support from projects like these are critical to achieving the systemic shifts that achieve real impact in carbon sequestration and a more resilient food system that doesn’t leave the stewards of our lands in the dust.”
“Through this agreement with Key Carbon, we will be able to reach more farmers, accelerate climate-positive outcomes, and deliver the kind of high-integrity credits the carbon market increasingly demands.”
Luke Leslie, CEO of Key Carbon, adds, “Corporate appetite for carbon credits is increasingly shifting towards high-integrity, removal-based and localised solutions to meet the evolving compliance standards. Our partnership with InSoil will provide increased access to funding for farmers, enabling the transition to regenerative agriculture and growing Key Carbon’s supply of high-quality carbon credits.”
Scaling regenerative agriculture
InSoil supports farmers through medium-term financing, expert agrotechnical guidance, and advanced soil and emissions monitoring technologies. This integrated approach enables farmers to adopt sustainable practices that increase biodiversity, build soil health, and improve water cycles, resulting in more carbon drawdown and greater resilience to extreme weather events.
Key Carbon’s subsidiary, EU Soil Carbon Corp, will fund the expansion of InSoil’s carbon farming business, providing farmers with additional technical and financial support in implementing regenerative practices.
