IXH26 - Italian XRPL Hackathon

Bari, 20-21 November 2026. Organized by XRPL Commons, University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), Università degli Studi di Bari, Scuola di Scienze e Tecnologie (UniBA), Università degli Studi di Trento (UniTN), and De Componendis Cifris.

About IXH26

IXH26 is a national hackathon focused on cryptography and blockchain, with a strong emphasis on projects that integrate the XRP Ledger (XRPL). The event runs across two days with seminars, mentorship and a hackathon competition.

Registration

Tickets are limited. Sign up from Luma.

Schedule

(Timezone: Europe/Rome, CET, UTC+1)

Venue:Department of Mathematics · Department of Informatics

20 Nov
10:00 - 11:00		Registration
Venue: Department of Mathematics
20 Nov
11:00 - 12:00		Welcome speeches and challenge descriptions: UniBA, UniTN, XRPL Commons / UBRI, De Cifris
Venue: Department of Mathematics
20 Nov
12:00 - 13:00		Hackathon: coding starts
Venue: Department of Mathematics
20 Nov
13:00 - 14:00		Hackathon: lunch
21 Nov
09:00 - 09:30		Hackathon: breakfast
Venue: Department of Informatics
21 Nov
12:00		Hackathon: project & pitch submission deadline
Venue: Department of Informatics
21 Nov
12:00 - 13:00		Hackathon: pitches
Venue: Department of Informatics
21 Nov
13:00 - 14:00		Lunch break
Venue: Department of Informatics
21 Nov
14:00 - 15:00		Jury deliberations
Venue: Department of Informatics
21 Nov
15:00 - 15:30		Winners & awards ceremony
Venue: Department of Informatics
21 Nov
15:30 - 16:00		Celebration
Venue: Department of Informatics
21 Nov
17:00		Hackathon ends & venue closes
Venue: Department of Informatics

Tracks & Challenges

Three official tracks: Advanced cryptography for blockchain, XRPL applications and tokenisation solutions for XRPL. Exact challenges for the first two tracks will be announced on-site. The third track will not specialise further its challenge, leaving the door open for a wide-spectrum of proposals.

Judging & Prizes

Judging criteria: Innovation, Execution, Impact, Pitch.

Prize details: total prize pool of EUR 12,000 (EUR 4,000 for each track).

Notes & Logistics

  • Teams: 3-8 people. Anyone can take part in the hackathon!
  • Funding & accommodation: support is available for some EU students (those who graduated in 2023-2026 will be considered students).
  • Mentors and technical support will be available during the hackathon.

Rules

1. Coding and projects
  • Coding starts at 12:00 on November 20th and submissions close at 12:00 on November 21st, 2026 (CET, UTC+1).
  • New work only: coding, development, and design should be done during the hackathon. Any work that was completed prior to the hackathon must be mentioned in your submission. Non-team-created software or intellectual property can be utilised if you have a licence (e.g. software libraries or design assets), but they must be mentioned in your submission.
  • Project pitches will be of five minutes, followed by two minutes for questions. You can include a PowerPoint/PDF presentation. A live demo is also accepted (and encouraged).
  • Code versioning: all submitted code must be in a version-controlled repository (e.g., GitHub) and made accessible to judges at the time of submission.
2. Participants
  • To be a participant, you need
    1. to have legal rights to be in Bari during the event (e.g., if you are an EU citizen),
    2. to be at least 18-year old on the 31st of December 2026, and
    3. to register on Luma.
  • We will not provide any documentation about your participation before the event. An attendance certificate will be provided after the event.
3. Students
  • To be considered a student either be enrolled as a BSC ("laurea triennale"), MSC ("laurea magistrale"), PHD ("dottorato") student or have graduated as such in 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026.
4. Teams
  • Teams can consist of 3 to 8 participants. Each participant may only be part of one team.
  • If a participant wants to be affiliated with a team, they must write to hack@decifris.it and communicate the chosen team leader, no later than November 10th.
  • If a participant does not communicate a team leader in time, they will become part of teams formed by the organizers at the beginning of the event.
5. Italian University Teams (IUTs)
  • Each Italian university may have one or more affiliated teams (IUTs).
  • IUTs team leaders must register to the hackathon, both in Luma and sending an email to hack@decifris.it, no later than November 10th.
  • At least half of an IUT’s members must hold Italian citizenship.
  • To be part of an IUT, you must satisfy:
    1. the requirements to be a participant
    2. the requirements to be a student (of said University)
    3. to be either a nonEU citizen or a EU citizen who is also a member of De Cifris (or that he/she has applied for membership)
6. Tracks and projects
  • The hackathon consists of three tracks, which correspond to three different challenges. Each team will select its own track during the event and submit only one project.
    Details on the challenges for the first two of the following tracks will be given during the event.
  • Track 1: Advanced cryptography for blockchain
    Projects under this track must demonstrate a clear application of cryptographic techniques to solve the challenge. The challenge can involve, for example, encryption algorithms, zero-knowledge proofs, digital signatures, or other privacy-enhancing technologies.
    See the Track 1 challenges from previous editions (IXH24 and IXH25).
  • Track 2: XRPL applications
    Projects under this track must involve the XRP Ledger in some way, whether through integrations, apps, decentralised finance, or smart contracts. Creativity and innovation in utilising the XRP ledger to solve the challenge are highly encouraged.
  • Track 3: Tokenisation solutions for XRPL
    Projects under this track must focus on tokenising digital or real-world assets (RWAs) using the XRP Ledger. The track is intentionally open-ended, allowing teams to explore any aspect of the asset lifecycle—such as issuance, fractional ownership, management, or compliance—across any industry or use case without restrictive challenge constraints.
7. Judging criteria
  • Innovation: How original is the idea? Does it bring new insights or solutions?
  • Execution: How well was it developed? Does it demonstrate technical complexity or impressive engineering?
  • Impact: How impactful is the project? Does it add value to a particular community, scenario or industry?
  • Pitch: Is the project clearly communicated? Is the demo (if present) well-prepared and convincing?
8. Prizes and awards
  • Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 projects in each track:
    1. 1st winner: € 2000 (two thousand euros)
    2. 2nd winner: € 1200 (one thousand two hundred euros)
    3. 3rd winner: € 800 (eight hundred euros)
9. Disqualification and misconduct
  • Participants will be disqualified if they:
    1. Fail to comply with intellectual property or copyright rules.
    2. Submit projects containing offensive, discriminatory, or harmful content.
    3. Exhibit any form of cheating, including tampering with other teams' projects.
    4. Fail to maintain appropriate and respectful behaviour when working within the team and with the other teams.
10. Miscellanea
  • Funding for eligible participants: If you are a student (as defined above at point 3) and a DeCifris member (or you are applying for membership), you are eligible for free accommodation for two/three nights (that we provide). DeCifris Young membership only costs 15 euros. If you think that you are eligible, please contact us at hack@decifris.it as soon as possible for confirmation (no later than November 15th) and the relevant paperwork.
    Moreover, if you are part of an IUT, you are eligible for a refund of your travel expenses (maximum spending limits).
  • Code of conduct: All participants are expected to ensure a respectful environment.
  • Venue: Università degli Studi di Bari, Campus, via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari (IT).
  • Support and Mentorship: Mentors will be available to assist with technical or project-related queries.
  • FAQs: Additional questions may be asked before or during the event.

IXH26 Winners

The winning teams will be announced after the hackathon.

Track 1 - Advanced Cryptography for Blockchain

Track 2 - XRPL Applications

Track 3 - Tokenisation Solutions for XRPL

Organizing institutions

  • XRPL Commons
  • Ripple — University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI)
  • Università degli Studi di Bari, Scuola di Scienze e Tecnologie, Dipartimenti di Fisica, Informatica e Matematica
  • Università degli Studi di Trento (UniTN)
  • De Componendis Cifris

Organising committee

  • Vera Radeva — Ripple
  • Emma Nasseri — Ripple
  • Federico Pintore — UniTN
  • Prof. Massimiliano Sala — De Cifris
  • Prof. Roberto La Scala — UniBA