Legislation

Digital accessibility legislation

Understand your responsibilities without the legal noise.

European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act establishes common accessibility requirements for certain products and services across the EU, including areas relevant to consumer banking services.

What does this mean for financial services?

Whether — and how — the Act applies depends on the specific products, services and markets involved. For organisations in scope, the practical areas to consider can include:

  • Digital banking services
  • Authentication and identification
  • Payments
  • Customer information
  • Electronic documentation
  • Websites and mobile services
  • Customer support channels
  • Ongoing accessibility maintenance
  • Governance
  • Supplier management
  • Conformity documentation

Accessibility in these areas is rarely a one-off exercise. It tends to require ongoing attention to customer journeys, documentation, internal processes and the suppliers involved in delivering digital services.

What happens when requirements are not met?

Accessibility requirements are subject to national supervision and enforcement. Depending on the applicable national legislation and circumstances, organisations may be required to correct non-compliant products or services, and national rules may provide for penalties.

Discuss your accessibility readiness

Standards and guidance

The technical foundation behind the requirements.

Legislation, standards and technical guidance play different roles: legislation sets the obligation, standards describe what conformance looks like, and guidance helps teams implement it. A short overview:

WCAG
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the internationally recognised standard for digital accessibility, forming the technical basis referenced by most accessibility legislation.
EN 301 549
The European standard for accessibility requirements for ICT products and services, referenced by the European Accessibility Act and public sector accessibility rules.
National requirements
Individual countries may set out their own implementing rules, supervisory bodies and timelines alongside the EU-level framework.

The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Specific obligations should be assessed in relation to the organisation, product, service and applicable jurisdiction.