diff --git a/bin/node/runtime/Cargo.toml b/bin/node/runtime/Cargo.toml
index 99b4389ce17..7d6d6f009ce 100644
--- a/bin/node/runtime/Cargo.toml
+++ b/bin/node/runtime/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ hex-literal = "0.2"
 
 [dependencies.codec]
 package = "parity-scale-codec"
-version = "1.0.0"
+version = "1.3.1"
 default-features = false
 features = ["derive"]
 
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ path = "../../../primitives/ethereum-poa"
 
 [build-dependencies.wasm-builder-runner]
 version = "1.0.5"
+tag = 'v2.0.0-rc4'
 package = "substrate-wasm-builder-runner"
 git = "https://github.com/paritytech/substrate/"
 
diff --git a/modules/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml b/modules/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml
index ac45876a6b2..23865b32bff 100644
--- a/modules/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml
+++ b/modules/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ license = "GPL-3.0-or-later WITH Classpath-exception-2.0"
 
 [dependencies]
 serde = { version = "1.0", optional = true }
-codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.0.0", default-features = false }
+codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.3.1", default-features = false }
 sp-currency-exchange = { path = "../../primitives/currency-exchange", default-features = false }
 
 # Substrate Based Dependencies
diff --git a/modules/ethereum-contract/builtin/Cargo.toml b/modules/ethereum-contract/builtin/Cargo.toml
index 5867e1176c9..cfee003f191 100644
--- a/modules/ethereum-contract/builtin/Cargo.toml
+++ b/modules/ethereum-contract/builtin/Cargo.toml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ license = "GPL-3.0-or-later WITH Classpath-exception-2.0"
 
 # General dependencies
 
-codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.0.0" }
+codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.3.1" }
 ethereum-types = "0.9.2"
 finality-grandpa = "0.12.3"
 
diff --git a/modules/ethereum/Cargo.toml b/modules/ethereum/Cargo.toml
index c22adb84906..8beafb64483 100644
--- a/modules/ethereum/Cargo.toml
+++ b/modules/ethereum/Cargo.toml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ license = "GPL-3.0-or-later WITH Classpath-exception-2.0"
 
 [dependencies]
 serde = { version = "1.0", optional = true }
-codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.0.0", default-features = false }
+codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.3.1", default-features = false }
 hex-literal = "0.2"
 primitives = { package = "sp-bridge-eth-poa", path = "../../primitives/ethereum-poa", default-features = false }
 
diff --git a/modules/substrate/Cargo.toml b/modules/substrate/Cargo.toml
index fefacdd458d..ec5ec2a0e84 100644
--- a/modules/substrate/Cargo.toml
+++ b/modules/substrate/Cargo.toml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ license = "GPL-3.0-or-later WITH Classpath-exception-2.0"
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
 [dependencies]
-codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.0.0", default-features = false }
+codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.3.1", default-features = false }
 serde = { version = "1.0", optional = true }
 hash-db = { version = "0.15.2", default-features = false }
 
diff --git a/primitives/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml b/primitives/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml
index 432a1ae9e82..4cdba7ec139 100644
--- a/primitives/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml
+++ b/primitives/currency-exchange/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ edition = "2018"
 license = "GPL-3.0-or-later WITH Classpath-exception-2.0"
 
 [dependencies]
-codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.0.0", default-features = false }
+codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.3.1", default-features = false }
 
 # Substrate Based Dependencies
 
diff --git a/primitives/ethereum-poa/Cargo.toml b/primitives/ethereum-poa/Cargo.toml
index 945752bc348..bf1d835197f 100644
--- a/primitives/ethereum-poa/Cargo.toml
+++ b/primitives/ethereum-poa/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ primitive-types = { version = "0.7", default-features = false, features = ["code
 fixed-hash = { version = "0.5", default-features = false }
 impl-rlp = { version = "0.2", default-features = false }
 impl-serde = { version = "0.2.3", optional = true }
-codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.0.0", default-features = false }
+codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.3.1", default-features = false }
 rlp = { version = "0.4", default-features = false }
 hash-db = { version = "0.15.2", default-features = false }
 triehash = { version = "0.8.2", default-features = false }
diff --git a/relays/ethereum/Cargo.toml b/relays/ethereum/Cargo.toml
index 35f88282b09..23c37156e58 100644
--- a/relays/ethereum/Cargo.toml
+++ b/relays/ethereum/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ async-stream = "0.2.0"
 async-trait = "0.1.36"
 backoff = "0.1"
 clap = { version = "2.33.1", features = ["yaml"] }
-codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.0.0" }
+codec = { package = "parity-scale-codec", version = "1.3.1" }
 env_logger = "0.7.0"
 ethabi = "12.0"
 ethabi-contract = "11.0"
diff --git a/relays/ethereum/src/substrate_client.rs b/relays/ethereum/src/substrate_client.rs
index 82e1081b852..e349213dfc7 100644
--- a/relays/ethereum/src/substrate_client.rs
+++ b/relays/ethereum/src/substrate_client.rs
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ impl SubstrateRpc for SubstrateRpcClient {
 
 	async fn best_ethereum_block(&self) -> Result<EthereumHeaderId> {
 		let call = ETH_API_BEST_BLOCK.to_string();
-		let data = Bytes("0x".into());
+		let data = Bytes(Vec::new());
 
 		let encoded_response = Substrate::state_call(&self.client, call, data, None).await?;
 		let decoded_response: (u64, sp_bridge_eth_poa::H256) = Decode::decode(&mut &encoded_response.0[..])?;