As we celebrate the day of global accessibility, May 15, a report published by Skillcast has revealed a worrying trend in the financial sector of the United Kingdom, that is, a generalized failure to meet digital accessibility standards.
The “Financial Services Accessibility Report” by the Skillcast Compliance Training Supplier evaluated more than 270 financial companies in the United Kingdom in nine subsectors. In doing so, it found that only 30% passed key accessibility tests. On average, companies had 48 accessibility errors on their websites, a number that is considered far from being acceptable in an era or delivery of digital services.
However, the bank stood out as a positive example, achieving an average Google Pagespeed score of 92.7 and registering the least amount of wave accessibility alerts. In contrast, Fintech companies and capital markets and commercial companies were delayed, with some subsectors seeing only four out of 30 companies that meet the main reference points.
Regulations that dictate accessibility and digital inclusion in the United Kingdom
The findings are ahead of the European Accessibility Law (EAA), which will enter into force in June 2025. The EAA will require that all colleagues operate within the EU, regardless of where they are, to guarantee digital access equal to products and services.
In fact, for companies in the United Kingdom that do business in the EU, breach could lead to serious regulatory consequences.
The Skillcast CEO, Vivek Dodd, emphasized the importance of urgent action being tasks: “Despite the leadership of the banking in best practices, the report reveals a significant number of errors in other subsectors … Accessibility and inclusion is essential.”
While accessibility has risen to the agenda in recent years, progress is still slow. Worldwide, only 12% of the websites meet the recognized accessibility standards, and previous research found home page errors in the 20 leading financial institutions of the United Kingdom.
More than just compliance: build a better financial future
The global day of accessibility consciousness was created to shed light on these issues and make sure that they do not stay along the way, thus encouraging organizations to design digital spaces that are usable by all. Now, in its thirteenth year, event services as a timely reminder that accessibility is not simply a box to mark, is a path to inclusion, customer confidence and long -term commercial success, and is absolutely essential for future growth.
The digital change in financial services does not show signs of deceleration. But, unless the sector increases its accessibility game significantly, and quickly, innovation will continue to exceed inclusion.
Ultimately, the final game is that companies that invest in compliance, inclusive design and digital optimization will now gain more than a little competitive advantage: it will be a great competitive advantage, and they
