Parsing Brazilian Financial Protocols with Elixir's Binary Capabilities

This guide explains how to use Elixir's powerful binary processing capabilities to work with the FEBRABAN standard—an essential framework for financial data exchange in Brazil. It covers the challenges of parsing fixed-width financial formats, such as the "Boleto Bancário" barcode, and discusses the impact of the upcoming Maturity Factor Reset in February 2025 on these processes. The author details practical techniques for creating a pure Elixir parser that handles complex banking rules without relying on external libraries, focusing on performance, safety, and memory efficiency. By leveraging Elixir's binaries, the guide proposes a robust solution for processing legacy banking formats and preparing for future modifications in the financial system.