Accessible Digital Banking For Society’s Most Vulnerable People

This is an image showing 3 smart phones each with different screen examples of the BankAbility app: the first shows transactions history, the second shows the dashboard for a user called Andrew, and the third shows some example utility bills to pay.

The Problem

This image shows a man of African descent, with a beard and check jacket in front of a block of flats, looking frustrated trying to use his mobile bank app.

  • There are 12.11M adults in the UK with a recognised disability, of which 7.15M have accessibility needs

  • Accessibility doesn’t just apply to people with disabilities – all users have different needs at different times, often remaining undiagnosed

  • 43% of UK adults with digital access needs do not use banking apps to manage their finances

Digital banking is now an essential part of everyday life, yet current banking apps offer limited accessibility for those who need it. This doesn’t just apply to people with disabilities – all users have different needs at different times, with many remaining undiagnosed.

The reduced independence, increased frustration, stress and isolation can easily lead to mental health issues and potential financial exclusion for society’s most vulnerable people.

What Are Accessibility Issues?

Real world examples

This is a stickman image of a man's head wearing glasses in white on a blue background.

Neurological

Mohammed has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and finds text easier to read if it’s highlighted in blue as it’s being read out loud on his mobile. He needs to be able to adjust the highlight and text colours, so text is readable with sufficient colour contrast.

This is a stickman image of a man's head wearing glasses in white on a blue background.

Sensory

Elizabeth has partly blurred and unclear vision and finds it hard to read texts that do not have strong colour contrast. She needs screen magnification, high contrast themes and occasional screen reader capability to access mobile apps.

This is a stickman image of a man's head wearing glasses in white on a blue background.

Physical

George has limited hand movement and uses custom gestures on his smartphone. He wants a visible focus indicator to know what element on the page has focus so when gestures are used on his mobile, he will know what element will be activated.

The accessibility problems of today are the mainstream breakthrough of tomorrow.

Eve Anderson

Director, Accessibility Engineering Google

 What’s needed is an inclusive digital banking solution that’s accessible for society’s most vulnerable people.

 

What Is BankAbility?

An ‘accessibility first’ Open Banking solution that automatically optimises the user-experience for everyone regardless of disability, age, device or operating system.

It enables people to manage their finances and everyday lives via a single dashboard.

This will be a game changer for people with sensory, neurological and physical disabilities such as mobility, dexterity, vision, hearing, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dementia and other mental health needs.

 
This is a line drawing image of a white circle with a vertical white line intersecting it through a gap at the top, on a blue background, to represent inclusion.

Inclusion

Ease of Use

Ease of Use

Accessibility

Accessibility

A line drawing image in white against a blue background showing two lines crossing over each other with arrowheads pointing in the same direction, symbolising the flow of Open Banking rails.

Open Banking

A white line drawing image against a blue background showing a cog within a person's head, representing how AI will drive the optimum user experience for BankAbility's users.

AI Driven

BankAbility

This image is a line drawing of an archery target with an arrow in the centre.

Our Mission

To improve the lives of society’s most vulnerable people by building the world’s most inclusive digital accessibility technology.

This is a line drawing image in blue on a white background of a human eye.

Our Vision

To build a solution enabling everyone with access needs to easily manage their digital banking.

This is a line drawing image in blue on a white background of two hands around a person, representing BankAbility's people-focussed values.

Our Values

Integrity, trust, respect, inclusion, innovation, simplicity.

This is a line drawing image in blue on a white background of a growing plant.

Our Pledge

To donate 10% of annual profits to our charity partners.

I believe the ‘BankAbility’ app will create a significant positive social impact. I support the important work Digital Ability is undertaking in the hope of eradicating the health impacts and financial exclusion faced by those with accessibility needs.

The Rt. Hon. Lord Blunkett

Our Team

This is a head and shoulders image of David Agar. He is a white man with no hair wearing a blue shirt.

David Agar

CEO

David is a highly experienced tech sector entrepreneur specialising in creating value and scaling innovative and disruptive businesses in the UK/EU/USA. He previously led a FinTech start-up from FCA license to launch in multiple EU markets.

This is a head and shoulders image of Prem Gorecki. He is a white man with no hair and is wearing a light blue shirt and a blue suit jacket.

Prem Gorecki

CTO

Responsible for creating and implementing our technology strategy, Prem has many years CTO and product management experience delivering innovative multi-channel financial products across multiple markets in the fintech and banking sectors.

This is a head and shoulders image of Penny Roberts. She is a white woman with shortish blond hair wearing a black polo neck jumper.

Penny Roberts

Director Of Partnerships

Penny is the ultimate strategic partnerships builder! She’s developed multi-million £ relationships with global enterprises during the last 25+ years, and leads partner engagement with corporate sponsors and disability charities.

Carolyn Cooper

Head Of Finance

Carolyn is an ACCA qualified management accountant and has worked in the mobile communications and technology sectors, providing ethics and professionalism in strategic financial management for over 20 years.

Board Advisors

This is a head and shoulders image of Steve Robertson. He is a white man with receding grey short grey hair wearing a dark pinstripe suit jacket with a white shirt and blue and red check tie.

Steve Robertson

Compliance, Risk & Regulatory

MBA qualified Steve is a Chartered Director with 30+ years experience helping FCA/PRA regulated firms to become authorised, managing their ongoing compliance and regulatory obligations.

This is a head and shoulders image of Clive Loseby. He is a white man wearing glasses with a shaved head and black stubble beard, wearing a dark suit jacket and white shirt.

Clive Loseby

Digital Accessibility

TED Speaker and global leader on digital accessibility, Clive created the world's first accessible website, and has a formidable team of specialist UX designers and disability testing panellists.

This is a head and shoulders image of Leslie Whiteford. He has short silver hair with gold rimmed glasses, a white shirt and blue tie, and a black suit jacket.

Leslie Whiteford

Financial Planning

A CFO with 40+ years global experience delivering increased stakeholder value in highly regulated financial services markets with E*TRADE, PWC & KPMG.

This is a head and shoulders image of Clive Henly. He is a white man with short grey hair and metal rimmed glasses with a blue shirt and a grey jumper.

Clive Henly

Business Transformation

An experienced chair and senior director in the credit union sector, for 30+ years Clive has led major business change programs with Experian, RBS, Lloyds and other major banks.

This is a head and shoulders image of Muryel Boulay. She is a white woman with short brown hair, with a black blouse under a cream knitted jacket.

Muryel Boulay

Environmental, Social & Governance

Working for large multinational corporations, including M&A experience, Muryel understands that purpose and culture is key to positive sustainability and long-term value creation.

This ia a head and shoulders image of Graeme Whippy. He is a white man with short grey hair and a silvery white beard and moustache. He is wearing a white t-shirt under a white business shirt.

Graeme K Whippy MBE

Disability & Accessibility

Graeme is a disability expert and acknowledged change agent, furthering the inclusion of people with disabilities for Lloyds Banking Group, the RNIB and the DWP for over 20 years.

This is a head and shoulders image of Vanessa Buckle. She has long curly hair and is wearing a dark blue top.

Vanessa Buckle

Consumer Finance & Marketplace

Vanessa is a financial services and ecommerce expert with 25 years experience, including building award winning revenue streams and Board reporting for MoneySuperMarket.

This is a head and shoulders image of Merton Smith. He is a man of Caribbean descent with no hair, wearing a white shirt and blue suit jacket.

Merton Smith

Business Development

Merton is an accomplished CRO / CCO with over 30 years’ global experience in Fintech, Banking, Payments and Digital, leading and executing growth strategies across multiple markets.

 
This is a head and shoulders image of Luthais McCash. He is a white man with short brown hair wearing a white shirt under a black high-neck zipped jumper.

Luthais McCash

Data Science

RSS Fellow and Chair of the Mathematical & Theoretical Physics Group at the renowned IoP, Luthais is an AI/ML expert who has developed mathematical algorithms for some of the world’s most complex problems.

This is a head and shoulders image of Alex Manners. He’s a white man with a big smile and short brown hair, wearing orange framed glasses and a bright orange suit jacket with a yellow, orange, red and blue check shirt.

Alex Manners

Neurodiversity & Autism Speaker

A neurodiversity speaker and author, Alex presents talks on ‘My Life Living with Asperger’s’ as well as Asperger’s in the workplace to some of the world’s leading companies including Ford and Coca Cola.

 

Accessibility is a basic human right.

Sarah Herlinger

Director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives - Apple

 

Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)

We are committed to maximising value for all stakeholders and shareholders by integrating environmental, social, and governance factors systematically into everything we do.

In this way we will contribute to the sustainable development of society whilst satisfying the needs of our customers, employees and communities.

 
This is an image of a leaf coloured blue on a white background, used to symbolise the environment..

How we interact with the environment

BankAbility’s key environmental impact is energy consumption: servers, offices and employee travel.

We will build an environment impact policy with a net zero impact.

This is a stickman image of three people used to represent communities, in the colour blue on a white background.

How we engage with society and communities

The core of our business focuses on accessibility and inclusivity, supporting the wider community and all its diverse ability individuals by creating employment and contributing to the local economy.

This is a symbol of a blue set of scales on a white background, used to represent accountability.

How we manage the company to ensure accountability and efficiency

From its inception, BankAbility has concentrated on bringing an expert group of experienced advisors which will ultimately translate into a diverse Board.

This is an image of 6 cut-out dark blue paper chain people holding hands against a light blue background, representing partnerships and togetherness.
 

Partner

As a social impact company focussed on enabling everyday financial inclusivity and accessibility, we are looking to partner with organisations and individuals who can help us to improve the wellbeing of society’s vulnerable people through financial inclusion.  

To find out more about partnering with BankAbility, please contact us.

 

News

Blog
Personal Banking - The Importance of Accessibility
Personal Banking - The Importance of Accessibility

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an already fast-moving shift towards digitalisation, with personal contact and face-to-face meetings disintegrating. From the way we work to the way we shop, the ‘new normal’ that we live is set to be hybrid, as all of us move further and further into the online world.

Read More →
How BankAbility is Helping People Become Financially Included
How BankAbility is Helping People Become Financially Included

How BankAbility is Helping People Become Financially Included

Read More →

Contact

Let’s Talk.

We’d love to hear from you!

(All enquiries are dealt with promptly and in the strictest confidence)