FirstBank Set To Launch Tailored Financial Services For Blind, Physically Challenged Customers

<h4>FirstBank Set To Launch Tailored Financial Services<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that FirstBank&comma; the premier West African bank and a leading financial inclusion service provider&comma; is set to introduce tailored financial services for blind&comma; partially sighted&comma; and physically challenged customers across its operations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This initiative is part of FirstBank&&num;8217&semi;s broader continuous commitment to promoting Financial Inclusion and Diversity&comma; which is shown in its policies&comma; partnerships and initiatives such as its employees’ ratio of female to male &lpar;about 41&percnt;&colon;59&percnt;&semi; and 37&percnt; women in management roles&rpar; as well as the FirstBank Women Network&comma; an initiative that seeks to address the gender gap and increase the participation of women at all levels within the organisation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In addition&comma; the Bank’s membership of the UN Women is an affirmation of a deliberate policy that is consistent with UN Women’s Women Empowerment’s Principles &lpar;WEPs&rpar; &HorizontalLine; Equal Opportunity&comma; Inclusion&comma; and Nondiscrimination&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Commenting on the proposed launch&comma; the Chief Risk Officer and Chairman of the FirstBank Sustainability Committee&comma; Patrick Akhidenor&comma; said&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Everyone deserves access to financial services whether physically or digitally&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>We recognise this&comma; and we are providing financial services that are both accessible and affordable to visually impaired and physically challenged customers at all our touchpoints&period; We are making it possible for them to manage their accounts independently and securely&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The initiative will be implemented in phases across all subsidiaries and locations of the FirstBank Group&period; Transaction documents will be made available in braille&comma; audio&comma; large print&comma; and digital formats&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>ATMs will be upgraded with high-contrast screens and voice-prompt commands&comma; while cards issued will feature tactile motifs and braille inscriptions for easy recognition&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Already existing soft PINs and tokens would be enhanced to boost secure access to banking channels&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Product brochures will also be made available in braille and audio formats to support customer understanding and engagement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>FirstBank’s efforts align with the Central Bank of Nigeria&&num;8217&semi;s financial inclusion strategy and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities&comma; which advocate equal access to financial services&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>With this initiative&comma; FirstBank is shaping a future where every individual&comma; regardless of physical ability&comma; can manage their financial affairs without third-party assistance&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>By embedding accessibility into its core operations&comma; the Bank is setting a new standard for ethical&comma; inclusive&comma; and impactful banking&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;