Last December the bank became the first in Spain to offer a new service for people with hearing impairment, and in March it will complete its implementation across its entire network. CaixaBank’s SVisual video interpretation service is aimed at people with hearing impairment and is completely free of charge
Helps eliminate communication barriers, enhances transparency, reduces conversational fluency errors and provides this group with accessible information on investment and financing value proposals. Customers who want to use this service can request it by email to their manager or via the CaixaBankNow app.
By March, CaixaBank will have completed the deployment of its sign language video interpretation service for individuals with hearing impairments across its entire branch network. „The initiative, called SVisual, allows the bank’s customers to receive information on financial services through a simultaneous sign language video interpretation system thanks to a specialised interpreter.” – according to the press release.
The service ensures that appointments at branches with persons with hearing impairment are carried out smoothly, enhancing transparency, promoting autonomy for this group and preventing possible errors due to misinterpretations. In addition, SVisual enables persons with hearing impairment to make more complex investment and/or financing value proposals in a clear and concise manner.
The initiative was launched, through a pilot programme, last December in a total of 120 CaixaBank branches in all the autonomous communities and this March it will be available throughout the bank’s branch network.
SVisual is a solution developed by the CNSE Foundation to suppress communication barriers, a non-profit state organisation that aims to dignify the living conditions and citizenship of all Deaf People. This project has the backing of the autonomous network of federations and associations that make up the Spanish State Confederation of Deaf People (CNSE).
CaixaBank Social Banking
With this service, CaixaBank adds a new action to its commitment to financial inclusion in branches. The bank also promotes accessibility in ATMs and more and more units have features such as high contrast, informative videos in sign language, voice-guided options for people with visual impairment, easy menus, etc.
In 2022, CaixaBank introduced a groundbreaking payment method across all its branches: a card with a Braille reading code. This innovation, the first of its kind in Spain, provides an accessible payment experience for visually impaired users. With regard to payment methods, CaixaBank offers from 2022 in all its branches the card with braille reading code, the first of these characteristics to be marketed in Spain, thus offering an accessible payment experience to visually impaired users.
CaixaBank’s Social Banking initiative is dedicated to enhancing financial accessibility. This includes offering accessible point-of-sale terminals (TPVs), inclusive financial services, insertion accounts, and accounts tailored for social entities. The goal is to provide services and products that address the specific needs of each group and support the efforts of social organisations. CaixaBank’s Social Banking also focuses on improving financial accessibility through accessible TPVs, inclusive finances, insertion accounts and accounts for social entities, with the aim of offering services and products that meet the real needs of each group and support the work of social entities.
The commitment to CaixaBank’s accessibility
CaixaBank understands accessibility in a broad way, which means not only offering its customers the greatest possible number of channels of access to its products and services, but also working so that these channels can be used by the greatest possible amount of pPeople. For this reason, it works to eliminate any physical and sensory barriers that may impede access to its facilities or to its products and services for persons with disabilities.
In this respect, a large majority of CaixaBank’s branches (86% at present) are accessible, applying the zero quota concept: removal of de-levels and installation of ramps and lifts to avoid de-levels. Similarly, 99% of the bank’s ATM network is adapted to persons with disabilities, including the possibility for persons with visual impairment to use the braille keyboard and voice-guided browsing.
Accessibility is also applied to digital channels. For example, the CaixaBankNow mobile app offers suitable colour and font sizes for people with low vision, as well as voice browsing.
Banking 4.0 – „how was the experience for you”
„So many people are coming here to Bucharest, people that I see and interact on linkedin and now I get the change to meet them in person. It was like being to the Football World Cup but this was the World Cup on linkedin in payments and open banking.”
Many more interesting quotes in the video below:
