IFSF

What IFSF does

IFSF (International Forecourt Standards Forum) is a UK-based, private membership standards development organization founded in 1993 and registered as IFSF Limited in England and Wales (Company No. 4866237). Headquartered in Earls Colne, Essex, with 11–50 employees, IFSF develops and promotes technology interoperability standards for the global fuel and convenience retail sector, serving fuel retailers (BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, MOL Group, Certas Energy, Petrosol), technology providers and equipment manufacturers (P97, Worldline, Dover Fueling Solutions, Invenco by GVR), payments companies, and EV/alternative fuel providers.

The organization's core offering is a portfolio of technology specifications rather than commercial software: IFSF API Standards built on Open API Specification 3.0, JSON-Schema, and HTML5 and covering five domains (Remote Equipment and Monitoring, Wet Stock Management, Prices, POS2FDC, and Mobile Payment); EFT/payment standards including POS-to-FEP and Host-to-Host interfaces; forecourt device standards for dispensers, tank gauges, car wash systems, and price poles; and payment and loyalty standards. IFSF jointly maintains the OpenRetailing GitLab repository with North American counterpart Conexxus, and has integrated with ISO 20022 via nexo, with W3C, with the OpenCharge Alliance, and with the EV Roaming Foundation to extend scope into EV charging and alternative fuels. Supporting products include Certification Tools and Test Tools (simulators and scripts) for CarWash, Dispenser, EPS-POS, PricePole, and Tank Level Gauge compliance.

IFSF's revenue model combines recurring membership fees from multiple tiers (Full Member, Associate Member, Gold/Silver/Bronze Technical Associate, Partner Organisation) with one-time license sales of certification and test tools via its online shop. Distribution is membership-driven through password-protected member portals, supplemented by a public GitLab repository, an annual conference (capped at 100 delegates, rotating European venues), a webinar program, a newsletter ("Forum"), and active LinkedIn/Twitter presence. Governance is exercised through a Board of Directors with representatives elected across Full Members, Associate Members, and Technical Associates, currently led by President François Mezzina (appointed June 2020).

Name

IFSF

Legal name

IFSF Limited

Website

https://ifsf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IFSF (International Forecourt Standards Forum) is a UK-based global membership standards organization, founded in 1993, that develops and promotes technology interoperability standards — APIs, payment, forecourt device, and loyalty — for the fuel and convenience retail sector, serving fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, payments companies, and EV/alternative-fuel providers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forecourt Technology Standards

NAICS

Gasoline Stations (4571), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Convenience Retail & Foodservice at Forecourts (C-Store/QSR) (EUALAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN)

Keywords

• Forecourt technology standards
• Fuel retail interoperability
• Payment integration standards
• API standards framework
• Convenience retail connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

Earls Colne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IFSF generates revenue through membership fees from various tiers including Full Member, Associate Member, Gold/Silver/Bronze Technical Associate, and Partner Organisation. Membership provides access to standards, development tools, working group participation, and industry event visibility.
2. Certification and Test Tools: Sale of certification tools and test tools (simulators and scripts) for validating compliance with IFSF standards. Available tools cover CarWash, Dispenser, EPS-POS, PricePole, Tank Level Gauge, and other forecourt devices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IFSF develops and promotes technology and communication standards for the global fuel and convenience retail sector, including an API Standards Framework (covering Remote Equipment and Monitoring, Wet Stock Management, Prices, POS2FDC, and Mobile Payment), EFT/payment and loyalty standards, forecourt device standards, and price management standards. Members access standards, working groups, and reference architecture via a membership tiered structure, and IFSF monetizes supporting test tools (simulators and scripts) and certification tools through an online shop and the OpenRetailing GitLab repository.

Product overview

IFSF (International Forecourt Standards Forum) is a standards development organization rather than a product company. Its offerings consist of technology standards and specifications for the fuel and convenience retail sector, along with certification and test tools. The core portfolio includes API Standards for Remote Equipment Monitoring, Wet Stock Management, Prices, POS/Dispenser, and Mobile Payment; EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) Standards for payment systems; Forecourt Device Standards for equipment interoperability; and Payment/Loyalty Standards. Supporting tools include Certification Tools for conformance testing and Test Tools (simulators and scripts) for various device categories. IFSF also provides a Reference Architecture framework documenting how its standards and tools interconnect.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certification Tools Software tools used by vendors and IFSF to certify that equipment and systems conform to IFSF standards across forecourt devices and payment systems. Sold via the IFSF online shop to technology providers, equipment manufacturers, and retailers.
• Test Tools (Simulators and Scripts) Testing tools — simulators and scripts — for validating implementations against IFSF standards across CarWash, Dispenser, EPS-POS, Forms, Other Forecourt Devices, PricePole, and Tank Level Gauge categories. Available for purchase through the IFSF shop.
• IFSF API Standards Five published API groups — Remote Equipment and Monitoring (REMC), Wet Stock Management (WSM), Prices (fuel and car wash), POS2FDC, and Mobile Payment — built on Open API Specification 3.0, JSON-Schema, and RESTful web services. Provided to IFSF members for building interoperable forecourt systems.
• IFSF EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) Standards POS to FEP Interface specification (Part 3-40) and Host to Host Interface specification (Part 3-50), version 2.0, conformance-labelled by the European Cards Stakeholders Group against SEPA Cards Standardisation Volume v8.0. Used by payment providers, retailers, and acquirers across European fuel retail.
• IFSF Forecourt Device Standards Standards governing integration of forecourt equipment including dispensers, tank level gauges, car wash systems, price poles, and other forecourt devices, including support for alternative fuels and EV infrastructure. Used by equipment manufacturers and retailers to ensure device interoperability.
• IFSF Payment and Loyalty Standards Standards covering payment processing, loyalty programs, and related financial transactions within the fuel and convenience retail ecosystem. Used by retailers, payment processors, and loyalty program operators.
• IFSF Reference Architecture Documentation and diagrams providing insight into IFSF functions, standards, tools, and project plans, enabling members to navigate the IFSF ecosystem and understand how standards interconnect.
• OpenRetailing API Simulator Software Tools First OpenRetailing API-based simulator tools jointly developed by IFSF and Conexxus, marking an important milestone in forecourt and convenience retail technology evolution. Used by technology providers and retailers to validate implementations against joint OpenRetailing APIs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Standards adopted on thousands of forecourts worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ConexxuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with Conexxus creating standardized APIs for the fuel and convenience retail sector. Partnership includes creation of a collaborative GitLab repository (OpenRetailing) for sample APIs, design documents, and data dictionary. Both organizations work together on API development, testing tools, and promoting interoperability standards globally.
• nexocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Conexxus, IFSF, and nexo ensures ISO 20022 standards are available for the petroleum retail and convenience store industries. The agreement provides expertise to enhance ISO 20022 standards to meet industry needs.
• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFSF became members of W3C to interact with leading companies and individuals around the world. Membership enables IFSF to provide connection between the digital world of the web and the physical forecourt environment, participate in working groups, and input to policies.
• OpenRetailingcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenRetailing initiative provides public repository (gitlab.openretailing.org) for API design guidelines, sample APIs, design documents, and data dictionary. Collaborative platform supporting standards development and industry review.
• European Cards Stakeholders Group (ECSG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECSG pursued standardisation initiative consistent with EU's SEPA objective. Reviewed IFSF payment standards specifications and granted conformance labels for Part 3-40 and Part 3-50 against SEPA Cards Standardisation Volume v8.0.
• Smart Payment Association (SPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFSF and Smart Payment Association signed Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in January 2017. SPA is the trade body of smart payment technology providers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• P97 Networks: Commercial provider of mobile commerce, payments and digital marketing platforms for fuel and convenience retail; comparable as a member of IFSF whose commercial APIs and forecourt integrations overlap directly with the API areas IFSF standardises.
• Invenco by GVR: Retail technology and payment solutions provider for the fuel retail sector and an IFSF Technical Associate with Board representation; comparable as a technology supplier whose products are designed against IFSF specifications.

Broad incumbents

• Smart Payment Association (SPA): Trade body of smart payments technology providers with which IFSF has an MoU; comparable as an industry association shaping payments standards and policy in adjacent technology areas.
• NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores): Global convenience and fuel retail industry association with a much broader remit including advocacy, research and events; comparable as a membership organization serving the same forecourt/convenience retail member base, but with a much wider portfolio than IFSF's technology-standards focus.

Direct peers

• nexo standards: International association for the card payments industry; IFSF has a documented partnership with nexo to align ISO 20022 standards with fuel and convenience retail, making it a directly comparable association-standards peer.
• Open Charge Alliance (OCA): Industry alliance defining the OCPP protocol for EV charger-management interoperability; comparable as a membership-based standards body operating at the forecourt/EV-charging intersection, and an IFSF related-party link.
• European Cards Stakeholders Group (ECSG): Stakeholder group that has formally granted conformance labels to IFSF's SEPA-aligned payment specifications; operates the same kind of cross-industry card-payment standards activity that underpins IFSF's EFT work group.
• EV Roaming Foundation: Nonprofit driving cross-network EV roaming interoperability standards; comparable membership-and-standards model in the adjacent EV charging ecosystem that IFSF is extending into.
• Conexxus: US-based nonprofit standards organization for the convenience and fuel retail industry and IFSF's primary joint-development partner on the OpenRetailing API initiative; directly comparable mission, membership model, and standards portfolio.

Others

• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): Global web standards body of which IFSF is a member; comparable as an open, membership-driven standards development organisation, though operating at a vastly larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IFSFonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/ifsfonline

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFSF