H2Global Advisory GmbH: Launchpad mission fulfilled
The H2Global Advisory GmbH was founded in May 2021 by Hamburg-based GFA Holding AG together with the five developers of the H2Global mechanism, including Markus Exenberger and Timo Bollerhey as initial Managing Directors. H2Global Advisory has been an essential enabler for the swift implementation of the H2Global mechanism, facilitating the immediate set-up of the H2Global Foundation and its wholly owned subsidiary Hintco GmbH (Hydrogen Intermediary Trading Company).
During the Foundation's and Hintco’s initial phase, H2Global Advisory acted as trustee, management and administrative office, and provided advice to the public and private stakeholders supporting the H2Global mechanism. “Our company has fulfilled its mission as a launch pad for the H2Global Instrument, which has become an indispensable player in the development of a functioning hydrogen economy”, says Daniel Wahby, Managing Director of H2Global Advisory.
Started in Germany with initial support from the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and a consortium of industry donors, H2Global has become a truly international endeavour. Today, the H2Global Foundation serves as an international non-profit organisation attracting industry and philanthropic donations from across the globe to conduct research on clean hydrogen markets and other low-emission fuels while also advocating for the uptake and use of the innovative H2Global mechanism. Hintco has been earmarked or granted public funds totalling €5.8 billion from multiple governments within and outside of the EU to empower the public and private sector to actively shape and support the ramp-up of international clean hydrogen markets.
The H2Global “double auction” mechanism compensates for current price differences between high global market prices and economically viable regional prices for renewable hydrogen consumers. "At a time when the vision of a market-based mechanism for clean hydrogen was still just an idea, GFA provided us with the institutional scaffolding to move fast and act decisively,” Markus Exenberger, today Executive Director of H2Global Foundation, states. “We are deeply grateful for this partnership, which helped transform a concept into a functioning institution with global reach.”
The Foundation is sharing knowledge about the innovative H2Global mechanism, carried out by Hintco, globally. The auctions are tailored to meet specific objectives, such as promoting clean energy technology or decarbonising specific hard-to-abate sectors.
“Hintco’s ability to deliver on the ambitious goals of the H2Global mechanism would not have been possible without the early support and trust of GFA Holding,” Timo Bollerhey, CEO of Hintco, adds. “Their backing gave us the operational foundation and confidence to build a new kind of trading entity – one capable of pioneering global clean hydrogen markets.”
The result of Hintco’s pilot auction includes price transparency, securing production and delivery of clean fuels, and creating legal certainty for projects to take the all-important final investment decision (FID). The impact and lessons learned from H2Global pilot auctions and research into clean fuels is shared with industry, governments, and other stakeholders across the globe.
“What conditions does green hydrogen need to establish itself on the market? The Foundation successfully provided answers to this question,” says Anja Desai, one of the Managing Directors of GFA Holding. “We are proud to have helped to effectively implement this concept and will continue to promote the development of green hydrogen markets and the decarbonisation of economies in Germany and abroad through our global coalition of GFA companies.”
H2Global Advisory already transferred its responsibilities to the Foundation in 2023. For technical and legal reasons, the company will now officially shut in August 2025.
For more information please contact:
Christoph Rasch
Head of Corporate Communications
GFA Holding AG
E-mail: christoph.rasch@gfa-holding.de
Phone: +49 40 603 06 761
Mobile: +49 151 235 100 47
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