UniCredit has partnered with Mastercard to launch payment cards with accessibility features for blind and partially sighted people.

Mastercard Touch Cards have a system of side notches to help visually impaired users identify the right card by touch alone and differentiate between their payment cards.

According to estimates published by the European Blind Union, there are over 30 million blind and partially sighted people in Europe, with an average of 1 in 30 Europeans experiencing sight loss.

Cards with the new features are currently available in Italy, with UniCredit introducing them to all 12 countries where it operates over the course of the year, covering 20 million cards.

UniCredit says the move makes it the first European bank to launch these cards at scale.

In line with the bank's ESG principles, the card is also made from recycled PVC and each card is labelled with a Mastercard Sustainable Card Badge to certify its sustainability credentials.

“Empowering our communities means ensuring that everyone has access to the financial tools they need,” said Alberto Palombi, head of group payment solutions at UniCredit. “This is why we are pleased to announce the integration of notches into our cards for blind and partially sighted customers, which have also been made using certified sustainable materials.

“Banks have a key role to play in shaping a better world, and this is another way that we wish to show our customers that we are there to support them."

Several other firms in the financial services space have in recent years made efforts to launch products for visually impaired people. In June 2023, Australian bank Westpac launched cards using the Mastercard Touch Feature.

Last December IT company Thales launched a voice-assisted payments card in collaboration with FinTech Handsome to help those living with visual impairments make payments.

The IT company said it was inspired to develop the card as 90 per cent of visually impaired people have once in their life faced fraud or encountered a mistake at a point of sales.

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