How Does EAA Affect Banking Services?

The EAA (European Accessibility Act) is vital legislation for all 27 EU member states, effective June 28th, 2025. This act requires all member states to ensure accessibility to their services and products. 

EAA covers smartphones, PCs, ATMs, banking services, e-commerce websites, and more. EAA focuses on creating an inclusive and balanced marketplace.

Evidence and EAA Compliance for Banking Apps

Banks will need to explain, in their terms and conditions document or similar, how their service or product meets accessibility requirements. The information provided must have the following:

• A clear and straightforward description of the service, designed to be understood by all individuals, including those with varying accessibility needs.
• Comprehensive instructions and clear explanations on how to use the service effectively.
• A description of how the service adheres to the digital accessibility standards outlined in Annex I of the European Accessibility Act.

Service providers must also demonstrate that their delivery and oversight of the service meet these standards and any other relevant provisions of the EAA. This information must be publicly available in a format that ensures accessibility for all users.

Why Urgent For Banking

1. Regulatory Deadline: The EAA mandates compliance by June 28, 2025. Financial penalties and reputational risks could arise for institutions failing to meet the requirements.

2. Widespread Impact: Banking services are essential to daily life, from accessing funds to managing accounts and making payments. Ensuring accessibility is crucial for equitable participation in financial systems by all individuals, including those with disabilities.

3. High Dependency on Digital Banking: The rapid shift to digital banking services has made it critical for banks to provide inclusive platforms. Many customers now rely on mobile apps, websites, and ATMs for their banking needs, which must be accessible to everyone.

4. Legal and Financial Consequences: Non-compliance can lead to:

• Fines and Penalties: Each EU member state can impose significant fines or sanctions for violations.
• Litigation Risks: Individuals facing accessibility barriers may take legal action, potentially resulting in costly settlements.
• Market Exclusion: Non-compliant banks may face restrictions in offering services in the EU.

5. Enhancing Customer Experience: Accessible banking services improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Inclusive design benefits individuals with disabilities, older adults, and customers in challenging situations, such as poor lighting or noisy environments.

6. Competitive Advantage: Early adoption of EAA standards can position a bank as a leader in accessibility, attracting a broader customer base and fostering trust in the brand.

Read: Manual vs Automated Testing - Which Approach Suits Fintech Better?

EAA Applicable Scenarios & Solutions For Banking

1. Accessible Online Banking for Visual Impairments

Scenario: A user with visual impairment wants to check their account balance using a mobile banking app.

Current Challenge: The app is incompatible with screen readers, making navigation and understanding the content challenging.

EAA Solution: Digital banking platforms must adhere to accessibility standards such as WCAG, ensuring they are perceivable, usable, understandable, and robust for all users.

2. Inclusive ATM Services for Physical Disabilities

Scenario: A wheelchair user needs to withdraw cash from an ATM.

Current Challenge: The ATM is positioned too high, and the controls are inaccessible, preventing independent use.

EAA Solution: ATMs must include features like appropriate height placement, tactile keyboards, and voice guidance to accommodate users with physical disabilities.

3. Enhanced Customer Support for Hearing Impairments

Scenario: A customer with a hearing impairment needs to contact the bank's support hotline for assistance.

Current Challenge: The hotline does not provide text relay services or alternative communication methods, making it inaccessible.

EAA Solution: Banks must offer accessible communication modes in their support services, such as text relay or sign language interpretation.

4. Clear Information for Cognitive Disabilities

Scenario: A customer with a cognitive disability is trying to understand financial information on a banking website.

Current Challenge: The website uses complex language and lacks simplified explanations, making it hard to comprehend.

EAA Solution: Information must be presented clearly and understandably, using simple language and offering content in multiple formats to meet diverse needs.

5. Alternative Authentication Methods for Motor Disabilities

Scenario: A user with limited hand mobility attempts to enter a PIN at a point-of-sale terminal.

Current Challenge: The terminal requires precise manual input, which is difficult for individuals with reduced motor skills.

EAA Solution: Accessible identification methods, such as voice recognition or biometric authentication, should be provided to accommodate users with motor disabilities.

Requirements for Accessibility as Per EAA

Information should meet the following criteria:

• Multiple Sensory Channels: Information must be available via more than one sensory channel.
• Understandability: Information must be presented in an understandable way.
• Perceivability: Information must be presented in ways that users can perceive.
• Text Formats: Information content should be available in text formats that enable alternative assistive presentations in different sensory channels.
• Font Design: Information should use adequately sized and suitably shaped fonts, considering foreseeable conditions, with sufficient contrast and adjustable spacing.
• Alternative Content Presentation: Non-textual content must be supplemented with alternative presentations.
• Electronic Information: Electronic information must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

Website and Mobile Accessibility:

Websites, online applications, and mobile device-based services, including mobile applications, must be accessible by being:

• Perceivable - presenting content in ways that all users can detect and perceive
• Operable - making components easy to use and navigate by everyone, including via keyboard or assistive tools.
• Understandable - ensuring information and interface elements are clear, consistent, and predictable.
• Robust - building content to work with various technologies, both now and in the future.

Ensuring EAA Compliance

1. Understand Variations Across Member States

• Country-Specific Regulations: Recognize that each EU member state may have its own version of laws complying with the EAA.
• Examples: In Italy, the Digital Italy Agency (AGID) enforces the "Stanca law" to align with the EU Web Accessibility Directive. In Ireland, the National Disability Authority (NDA) monitors compliance.

2. Align with EN 301 549 Standards

• Scope: Ensure your products and services meet EN 301 549 accessibility standards, incorporating the WCAG 2.1 for information and communications technology (ICT).

This standard applies to various ICT products and services, including web content, electronic documents, and non-web software, such as native mobile apps.

3. Be Aware of Penalties for Non-Compliance

• Enforcement: The EAA leaves the determination of penalties to each member state's advisory organization. Fines can range from €5000 to €20,000.
• Example: A Dutch website can be fined around €10,000 for not providing text alternatives for images since visually impaired users cannot access it.

4. Ensure Compliance Regardless of Location

• Global Reach: If your company offers products or services to customers in the EU, you must comply with the EAA, regardless of your location.

5. Coordinate Across Teams

• Internal Collaboration: Ensure that various teams within your organization, including executives, product managers, designers, developers, and customer support, are aligned and actively participating in the accessibility compliance process.

Also read: Improving Fintech Accessibility - A Path to Building More Inclusive Apps

Conclusion

Ensuring EAA compliance for banking apps involves meeting regulatory requirements and creating inclusive, user-friendly experiences that benefit everyone. By prioritizing accessibility in banking services, institutions can enhance customer satisfaction and build trust.

HeadSpin can help achieve these goals. With access to a wide range of real devices and over 130 KPIs, the HeadSpin platform helps accurately test real-world scenarios. Its powerful insights and real-time data also help improve user experiences.

Let’s connect to discuss more ways HeadSpin can help.

FAQs

Q1. What technologies can assist banks in meeting EAA requirements?

Ans: AI-driven accessibility tools, automated compliance testing software, and adaptive user interfaces can help banks efficiently identify and address accessibility gaps.

Q2. How can banks measure the effectiveness of their accessibility initiatives?

Ans: Banks can use tools to track user feedback, monitor accessibility KPIs, and conduct usability testing with individuals from diverse accessibility backgrounds to ensure that their services effectively meet user needs.

Q3. Are there international accessibility standards banks can follow beyond EAA?

Ans: Yes, banks can adopt globally recognized standards such as the WCAG and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to complement EAA requirements and broaden their inclusivity efforts.