How the European Accessibility Act is Impacting Banking Apps
As the European Accessibility Act (EAA) approaches its full enforcement in 2025, businesses across the EU, especially banks, are under increasing pressure to ensure that their digital products like apps and websites meet accessibility standards. With millions relying on online banking and mobile apps for their daily financial needs, it’s critical for banks to adapt their services for users with disabilities.
In this post, we’ll break down:
- What the European Accessibility Act (EAA) entails.
- The challenges faced by the banking sector in meeting accessibility requirements.
- How our automated app testing tool can help banks achieve EAA compliance efficiently.
What is the European Accessibility Act (EAA)?
The European Accessibility Act is a directive that mandates companies to make their digital products and services accessible to people with disabilities. Covering sectors like e-commerce, telecommunications, and financial services, this act primarily requires adherence to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
For the banking sector, this means ensuring that:
- Banking apps, websites, and ATMs are accessible to people with visual, auditory, and motor disabilities.
- Services meet design standards, such as keyboard accessibility, screen reader compatibility, and appropriate color contrast.
- The EAA compliance deadline is June 28, 2025. Non-compliance could result in penalties, legal action, and reputational damage.
Challenges the Banking Sector Faces with EAA Compliance
The banking industry has unique challenges in making its digital services accessible. These challenges include:
- Legacy Banking Systems
Many banks operate on legacy systems and outdated infrastructures. Modifying these to meet WCAG 2.1 standards can be complex and costly, especially for banks with limited resources.
- Complex User Interfaces (UIs)
Banking apps often feature complicated user journeys involving transactions, bill payments, loan applications, and investment services. Ensuring that these features are fully accessible requires thorough testing and regular updates.
- Consistency Across Platforms
Banks often operate across multiple platforms, including web browsers, mobile apps, and desktop applications. Maintaining consistent accessibility standards across all platforms adds another layer of complexity.
- Frequent Software Updates
Banking apps are regularly updated for security, new features, or user experience improvements. Each update requires a new round of accessibility testing, which can be time-consuming if done manually.
- High Testing Costs and Time Constraints
Manual accessibility testing is labor-intensive and costly. As banks try to meet tight deadlines, the need for efficient, scalable solutions becomes urgent.
How Automated App Testing Helps Banks Achieve EAA Compliance
Banks can benefit from leveraging automated testing tools to meet the stringent requirements of the European Accessibility Act efficiently.
Our automated testing solution ensures your apps meet WCAG 2.1 standards, which are crucial for EAA compliance.
The framework is testing all the attributes used in accessibility
- Labels, values, descriptions, captions, and error pop-ups
We are testing all labels and their values, verifying inputs and results, descriptions, captions of elements, and error pop-ups.
- Alternative text, OCR text, and image comparing
The framework can also test alternative text of images, icons, and OCR text. We can also test with image comparing, which is used to compare screens on an app with images from specifications.
- Keyboard/No keyboard testing
The framework has the possibility to test with or without an open keyboard.
- Actionable Reporting
The tool provides detailed reports highlighting specific accessibility issues and offers suggestions for fixes. This saves your team time by offering direct insights into what needs to be improved.
- Cost-effective and Scalable
Our automated tool offers a more cost-effective solution than manual testing. It makes it easier for banks—both large and small—to ensure accessibility compliance without overwhelming their budget or resources.
Why EAA Compliance Matters for the Future of Banking
By adopting automated app testing, banks not only meet the regulatory requirements of the European Accessibility Act but also ensure better user experience for their entire customer base. Accessibility leads to higher customer satisfaction, increased brand loyalty, and a broader customer base.
Key Benefits of Accessibility for Banking Apps:
- Enhanced user experience for all users, including those with disabilities.
- Increased customer trust and brand reputation.
- Protection against legal risks and penalties for non-compliance.
- Future-Proof Your Banking App for EAA Compliance
The European Accessibility Act will soon be a reality, and banks need to act now to avoid penalties and create inclusive services for all. Our automated app testing tool offers a simple, efficient, and scalable way to ensure your banking apps comply with accessibility standards while saving time and reducing costs.
Are you ready to future-proof your digital banking services? Contact us today to learn how our automated testing solution can help your bank meet the accessibility requirements of the European Accessibility Act.
ASEE
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