Increasing the number of inclusive branches, new service standards, and the Inclusively Friendly training course: Oschadbank reports on the progress of the "My Accessibility" program

Oschadbank reported on the progress of its inclusive program "My Accessibility" at the forum of the same name in Kyiv, which was held today at the initiative of Oschadbank and Visa. The main goal of the event was to continue the dialogue and unite efforts around the implementation of an inclusive society among opinion leaders and the business community. During the event, the organizers and representatives of other socially responsible companies that are members of the Business Without Barriers community shared their achievements in implementing inclusive programs.

A separate discussion was held on the biggest challenges in building an inclusive environment in Ukraine. The event was welcomed by Andriy Pyshnyi, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Ihor Bezkaravaynyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Volodymyr Lavrenchuk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Oschadbank.

The launch of Oschad's inclusive program My Accessibility was announced in October last year. At the forum, the bank shared its first results. Thus, in terms of physical accessibility of branches, in less than six months, 87 more Oschadbank branches have been granted the inclusive status. The Oschad brand book has been updated accordingly.

Oschadbank has developed and adopted new standards for servicing people with disabilities and veterans in particular. To implement the new service model, which provides specialized services, the bank launched a large-scale training program called "Inclusively Friendly", which consists of offline and online training. Firstly, top managers of the financial institution were trained in barrier-free communication offline, and then more than 600 employees from 21 regional offices. It is planned that most of Oschadbank's employees will undergo it in one form or another.

In addition, Oschad has joined the support of projects that help create an inclusive environment in Ukraine. Thus, in January 2024, together with Visa and other partners, the bank facilitated the opening of the first mobile rehabilitation module created by the Mindy Charitable Foundation. The key goal of this module, located in Ovruch, Zhytomyr region, is to provide free psychological and rehabilitation services to veterans, families of defenders and Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression. This is the first rehabilitation module of a network of similar outlets in small towns and cities across Ukraine. The bank and the payment system also supported the creation of the YouTube show “Vidval Nig” ("Leg Fall Off"), in which war veteran Oleksandr Teren inspects Ukrainian cities for barrier-free accessibility. The list of similar initiatives of Oschadbank is constantly growing.

"The gradual introduction of barrier-free access is a requirement of the times. We have to go this way together, because this is required by the EU regulations, which we are striving to become a part of. This is necessary for people with disabilities who are tired of waiting for our cities to become friendly to them. This is our duty to the men and women veterans who bravely defend our country and expect society to thank them for it when they return to peaceful life. Implementing barrier-free solutions is a task for all stakeholders: the government, business and the public sector.  Oschad sees its mission in this area not only in developing its own inclusiveness. We initiate a broad public discussion on how business can contribute to improvements in this area. That is why Oschad, together with Visa, organized the My Accessibility Forum," said Sergii Naumov, Chairman of the Management Board of Oschadbank.

Visa's global goal is to provide access to payment services to everyone around the world, regardless of their needs and capabilities. We have been honored to support accessibility projects in Ukraine for many years, as we believe that the physical and virtual payment and banking infrastructure in Ukraine should be accessible and easy to use for everyone, and that financial inclusion goes hand in hand with social inclusion. Visa is proud of the ongoing and implemented projects together with Oschad and other partners, as such initiatives contribute to building a society where everyone can realize their potential," said Svitlana Chyrva, Vice President, Regional Manager for Ukraine and Moldova at Visa.

The My Accessibility Forum was held with the support of Business Without Barriers, a community of motivated companies that has united around Olena Zelenska's initiative "Without Barriers" aimed at creating equal opportunities for all Ukrainians.

Oschadbank is a leading Ukrainian universal commercial bank 100% owned by the state. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Oschad, as a systemically important bank, has focused its efforts on ensuring uninterrupted operations at all levels. Recognizing the importance of restoring life in the de-occupied territories as soon as possible, the bank promptly resumes its operations there. Oschadbank has the largest network of about 1,200 branches and provides services to more than 6.2 million customers.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments. Visa processes transactions between consumers, businesses, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world with an innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network to help consumers thrive and businesses and economies prosper. We believe that expanding access for everyone in the economy helps to increase the well-being of people around the world and will be the basis for the global movement of money in the future.