← Opportunities

RFP: ISO 8583

Funder
Web3 Foundation · Grants Program
Type / status
rfp · announced
Amount
Deadline
unknown
Ecosystems
polkadotsubstrate
Categories
defidev toolinginteroperability
Tech stack
rustsolidityink!java
Apply
https://github.com/w3f/Grants-Program/blob/master/docs/RFPs/ISO_8583.md
Source
https://github.com/w3f/Grants-Program/blob/master/docs/RFPs/ISO_8583.md
Fit
28% · weak fit · The team works in Aleo/Leo and ZK privacy, which is adjacent to the RFP's focus on Substrate/ink! and traditional finance integration, but they are outsiders to the Polkadot ecosystem and the specific Java/API focus.
Trust
76% · model self-report 80% · first seen 2026-09-09 · v2
Verified
2026-09-15 · page still up, no closing language

This RFP seeks teams to implement tools that enable the traditional finance industry to leverage Substrate and ink! smart contracts for interacting with ISO 8583, including Java APIs, off-chain proofs of concept, and efficient on-chain representations of the ISO 8583 syntax.

Eligibility: Open to teams interested in implementing ISO 8583 tools using Substrate and ink! smart contracts for traditional finance integration.

Pipeline

Override status:

Trust breakdown (1/2 checkable facts verified)

SignalWeightResultNote
apply link0.075100%link in source
funder0.0750%funder not named in source
source quality0.15100%official page or repo
model confidence0.180%model self-report

Fit breakdown (against the ORG_* profile)

SignalWeightResultNote
model fit0.540%model rated 40%
ecosystem overlap0.250%polkadot, substrate vs aleo
category overlap0.1533%defi, dev_tooling, interoperability vs zk, privacy, infra, dev_tooling, security, interoperability
tech overlap0.133%rust, solidity, ink!, java vs rust, leo, zk

Sources (1)

RoleDocumentFromFetched
primaryRFP: ISO 8583Web3 Foundation Grants: RFPs (GitHub)2026-09-09

History (2)

vChangedFields
22026-09-09summary, status
12026-09-09created

Extracted text

# RFP: ISO 8583

:::caution
This Request for Proposals is currently considered **under development**, meaning one or more grants have been signed to address the topic. We might be interested in additional implementations, but it’s better to double check this with the grants team.
:::

* **Status:** [Implemented](https://github.com/w3f/Grants-Program/blob/master/applications/Integrating-ISO8583.md), [Under Development](https://github.com/w3f/Grants-Program/blob/master/applications/ISO-8583-implementation.md)
* **Proposer:** [Noc2](https://github.com/Noc2)

## Project Description :page_facing_up: 

ISO 8583 is an international standard for systems that exchange electronic transactions initiated by cardholders using payment cards. It defines a message format and a communication flow, but offers also custom fields and custom usages. Most transactions that involve ATMs are based on this standard and Mastercard, Visa and Verve networks base their authorization communications on the ISO 8583 standard. 

Even though ISO 8583 is going to be replaced by [ISO 20022](https://github.com/w3f/Grants-Program/blob/master/docs/RFPs/ISO_20022.md), it might take some time before it’s actually fully replaced.    

The goal of this RFP is to find teams that implement tools that make it easy and possible for the traditional finance industry to leverage substrate and ink! smart contracts to interact with ISO 8583 in various ways. These tools could be, but are not limited to:

- (Java) APIs or packages that make it possible for the traditional finance industry to integrate a substrate-based ISO 8583 solution into their existing tech stack.  
- Proof of concepts, potentially leveraging the unique [Off-Chain Features of Substrate](https://docs.substrate.io/learn/offchain-operations/) that show the advantages of using ISO 8583 together with Substrate.  
- Efficient on-chain representation of the ISO 8583 syntax 

**Useful resources:**
- https://www.iso.org/standard/31628.html 
- https://github.com/element36-io/ocw-ebics 

## Deliverables

The structure of the grant and the milestones depends highly on the project itself. It’s therefore up to the applying team to come up with a milestone and delivery structure.