Inclusive Financial Services for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities: Global Trends in Accessibility Requirements

This report highlights the organizational and process adjustments that financial service providers need to undertake to ensure that everyone including senior citizens and persons with disabilities have equal access to finance. It identifies global trends in the financial services sector that are transforming how employee-and client-facing applications, products, and services are delivered to reach the broadest set of customers. The report also articulates some recommendations that can further enrich the dialogue around access to financial services by persons with disabilities and diverse abilities. It covers the following sections in detail:

• Barriers posed by inaccessible financial services to persons with different disabilities;
• Different international mandates and frameworks that are accelerating the promotion of financial inclusion for persons with disabilities;
• Description of accessibility needs based on the type of technology in use and examples of effective practices and solutions to promote inclusion;
• Assessment of how different countries are striving to achieve the accessibility mandate;
• Findings from two studies that provides a picture of the state of financial accessibility today and offer a glimpse into the financial sector’s commitment to incorporate accessibility into their work and services in the future;
• Recommendations for relevant stakeholders to drive accessibility to financial products.