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Reports about deaf banking experience

Deaf Equity in Financial Services Report

2026 Annual Report

From Provision to Proficiency: Bridging the Financial "Outcome Gap"
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PUBLISHED BY
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
with deafPLUS, RNID, Nationwide Building Society and the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group

About the report

Banks now offer more services for deaf customers than ever before. But do those services actually work for deaf people?

This is the fourth annual report on deaf equity in financial services. For the first time, it combines data from 34 financial organisations with the real experiences of 85 deaf BSL users.

The report was funded by Nationwide Building Society.

Our part in this report

Signing Banks UK is a partner on this report. Our Programme Lead, Breda Leyne, and Research Lead, Dr Tim Pascoe, contributed to the research. We’ve been part of the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group since it began in 2022.

This report names us as a partner banks can work with to:
  • create BSL-first fraud and money guidance
  • share guidance, so every bank doesn’t build its own
  • train staff to communicate well with deaf customers
COMING IN 2026
Nationwide's Speak Easy communication cards will be free for every bank through Signing Banks UK

Key facts from the report

90%
of debt issues raised by moneyPLUS users are linked to miscommunication and misunderstanding
42%
of organisations have low confidence that deaf BSL customers can sort out problems as quickly as hearing customers
18%
of organisations provide fraud and scam information in BSL
76%
of organisations don’t monitor fraud or scam risk for BSL users
Source: Deaf Equity in Financial Services 2026 Annual Report (ActionAble)
Co-designed pathways between financial institutions and specialist deaf charities could enable effective referral, joint case management, and BSL-accessible support for complex financial cases. This approach reduces risk, improves client confidence, and leads to better outcomes.
Dr. Tim Pascoe
Director, Signing Banks UK

What the report asks banks to do

01
Tell Us Once
Deaf customers shouldn’t have to explain their needs again and again.
02
BSL First
Key information, like fraud warnings, made in BSL from the start – not English with BSL added later.
03
Design with deaf people
Involve deaf people in designing products and services, not just testing them.
04
A Code of Practice
One shared standard for deaf inclusion across the whole sector.

Are you a bank or financial organisation?

The report recommends working with Signing Banks UK on staff training, shared resources and BSL-first guidance for deaf awarness and customer inclusion.
Work with us
Read the full report
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