The financial services sector has seen positive progress to better support deaf customers in the last two years, according to a new report by the Lending Standards Board (LSB), the non-profit organisation driving fair customer outcomes for consumers and SMEs within financial services.
As 2025’s Deaf Awareness Week gets underway, LSB has published its annual update on the availability of accessibility tools and services for deaf or hard-of-hearing people across the UK’s financial services sector.
This update follows its 2023 report on the challenges deaf or hard-of-hearing people can face when seeking to access financial services. It has been compiled in conjunction with the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group – set up alongside the 2023 LSB report and which comprises 34 banks, building societies, digital-only lenders, insurers, debt charities and others – and Signing Banks UK , a website which brings available support across the financial services sector into one place.
According to the LSB’s analysis, some basic deaf accessibility services are almost ubiquitous across the Industry Group. In fact, 97 per cent offer text relay, while 84 per cent of those with a physical customer presence (such as a bank branch) offer hearing loops.
Instant British Sign Language (BSL) translations into call systems are offered by 73 per cent of the Group, and 63 per cent of those with a physical customer presence can provide instant in-branch BSL translations. Fifty per cent of the Group can also provide face-to-face BSL interpreters in-branch, while 45 per cent of all respondents offer a Video Relay System (VRS) call-back service.
Twenty-seven per cent of those firms now offering BSL translation into their call systems have introduced this in the last 12 months, as have 38 per cent of those offering VRS call-back.
“The progress on supporting deaf customers in the financial services sector over the last two years has been positive – though there is still a long way to go before deaf or hard of hearing customers have the same level of access to financial services as those whose hearing isn’t impaired,” explained Emma Lovell, chief executive at LSB.
Improvements can continue
Lovell continued: “Being deaf or hard of hearing can have a significant impact on someone’s ability to achieve the right outcome when they engage with a financial services provider. Not being able to hear conversations in branches or on the phone can be an obvious challenge.
“Less obvious perhaps – particularly to those who aren’t deaf – is the fact that BSL isn’t just a signed version of English; it’s an entirely different language. Some of those who rely on BSL may not be able to understand the letters or communications in written English that the sector has historically used to communicate with deaf customers.
“As the sector continues to improve its services for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, there are two key things we will be looking out for. The first is the incorporation of lived experience within the development of new products and services. Just a quarter of the Group included deaf people in the development and deployment of relevant tools or services in the last year. This figure has to improve.
“Secondly, it’s important that the cultural shift in the sector is embedded properly. Firms have really embraced the need to make a change and that needs to be backed up. Training on deaf people’s needs should be more than a one-off session. Where deaf people can log their needs on firms’ systems, employees need to know to look for these and respond accordingly. The accessibility tools and services that have been introduced need to be maintained, checked, and improved.
“It can be really frustrating for someone with additional support needs when there is a tool available but it’s not working, or staff don’t know how to use it properly.”
Inclusion fuels innovation
The LSB 2025 update has found that, among the Industry Group, 74 per cent have communicated internally on deaf accessibility in the last two years, while 67 per cent have invested in training on deaf customers’ needs, and 41 per cent have on-demand content on deaf customers’ needs on intranets or similar sites. A further 10 per cent of respondents have training in development.
Kathryn Townsend, chair of the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group, the government disability and access ambassador for the banking sector, and head of customer vulnerability at Nationwide, also added: “Two and a half years since the formation of the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group, I continue to be impressed by the progress we’re making. We’ve grown from 12 to 34 firms, estimated to cover the majority of UK consumers. This year’s survey responses once again reinforce what we’ve come to learn: that with a clear focus, regular collaboration, and access to the right expertise, meaningful change is possible.
“Many of the technologies that support deaf inclusion aren’t new – they’ve been available for over a decade. What’s new is the scale of uptake. That said, we know the journey is far from over. No firm in the group would say their work is complete. Importantly, this isn’t a race to the bottom. What we’ve shown is that inclusion fuels innovation. Larger firms are sharing their learning generously, while continuing to push themselves. Smaller firms are bringing fresh thinking and agility. The result is a sector-wide uplift. It proves what’s possible when lived experience, expertise, and a shared commitment come together.”
