This week, under the leadership of UK Finance with partnership with RNIB and others, the industry has come together to introduce a nationally coordinated approach to accessible card design – creating, for the first time anywhere in the world, a code of practice with consistent tactile language and visual design features, that can be understood and relied upon by people with accessible needs. It will improve recognition of a card as a payment card rather than a driving licence or library card and cardholders will be able to tell which type of payment card it is. It also helps those who struggle to read small text on the back of many cards. 

A year of collaboration and determination

This has been a long journey. It has taken well over a year of sustained effort, careful coordination and, at times, delicate navigation of commercial and competitive boundaries. But it is precisely that effort – and the breadth of collaboration behind it – that makes this achievement so significant.

At the heart of the initiative has been UK Finance’s strong partnership with both global card schemes, Mastercard and Visa. Their support has been vital. Mastercard’s Touch Card™ design provided the core foundation, and we helped them on their journey to broader enablement in a way that supports industry-wide adoption. Visa’s partnering was also essential in ensuring that the outcome is truly interoperable and scheme-neutral. We are enormously grateful. 

Balancing design, brand and practicality

Reaching this point required hundreds of hours of group and 121 engagements, involving a good deal of listening and persuasion on the precise features. But it also required more than just agreement on technical designs. It meant working through complex brand and licensing considerations to arrive at a framework that around 80 percent of the UK market could stand behind. Critically this framework respects Visa’s, Mastercard’s and their UK card issuers’ brand uniqueness. The cards will all look different, but the accessibility considerations are the common key to unlock consistent experiences and more efficient economies of scale manufacturing. 

More importantly, this has been shaped by those with lived experience. Organisations such as Royal National Institute of Blind People and the British Dyslexia Association have played a central role in guiding the design and ensuring that the outcome is meaningful, practical and inclusive. Their input has kept the work grounded in real-world needs and outcomes.

The contribution of industry partners has also been vital. Issuers across the market have leaned in to support a common approach, while manufacturing expertise – particularly from IDEMIA – has helped translate design principles into practical, scalable solutions. The support from Thales has further strengthened the delivery capability behind the initiative.

Driving financial inclusion

This work has also taken place against the backdrop of a growing focus on financial inclusion, including the UK Government’s strategy led by HM Treasury. While that context has undoubtedly added momentum, what is notable is that the industry has delivered this outcome proactively, demonstrating what can be achieved without the need for formal legislation.

For me, this initiative is also personal. Alongside my role at UK Finance, I serve as a trustee of Sight for Surrey. That experience brings into sharp focus the everyday barriers that many people with sight loss continue to face. Something as simple as identifying the right card should not be a challenge. This code is a practical step towards removing that barrier.

What we have achieved is not just a new code. It is a demonstration of how the payments industry can come together – across firms, schemes, charities and suppliers – to solve a shared problem. It shows that with the right leadership, collaboration and sheer will, industry can move quickly and effectively to deliver better outcomes for customers.

A collective achievement with lasting, and global, impact

And importantly, this is only the beginning. By creating a consistent and scalable approach, we now have the opportunity to take this beyond the UK, working with international partners to promote wider adoption and deliver a more inclusive payments experience globally.

This has been a collective effort in every sense. It reflects the commitment of the industry, the guidance of advocacy groups, the partnership of the schemes, and the leadership of UK Finance. It is something everyone involved can be proud of, and, more importantly, something that will make a real difference to people’s lives.