The European Union’s Accessibility Directive, enacted on 17 April 2019 as Directive (EU) 2019/882, introduced sweeping accessibility requirements for products and services across the EU.
Investment firms offering certain consumer banking services fall under its scope, with services like reception and transmission of orders, execution, portfolio management, and investment advice all covered when provided to retail clients.
Zeidler Group, which helps firms with their investment funds law, recently delved into the impacts of the regulation on investment firms.
The Directive aims to ensure banking and investment services become more accessible to people with disabilities and other accessibility needs. It defines what accessibility means, lays down guiding principles, and sets specific obligations for investment firms to make services and information clear, perceivable, and easy to navigate for all.
It officially took effect on 28 June 2025, applying to services and products launched after this date. Existing contracts signed before the deadline can remain unchanged until either 28 June 2030 or their natural termination date, whichever comes first. Notably, firms providing services exclusively to professional investors remain out of scope.
The Directive applies to investment firms offering consumer banking services as defined under MiFID II rules. It also covers management companies providing such services under MiFID top-up permissions. Included services range from investment advice and portfolio management to ancillary activities like safekeeping financial instruments, granting loans, conducting investment research, and offering foreign exchange services linked to banking activities.
To achieve compliance, the Directive introduces the POUR principles — perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. These require services to be presented in formats accessible to all senses, navigable through assistive technologies, easy to understand, and compatible with future technologies and platforms.
Article 4(3) further obliges investment firms to provide instructions and information about using services in accessible formats. Content must be available via websites, multiple sensory channels, alternative assistive formats, and feature accessible design elements such as adaptable text sizes and contrast settings. Support services like help desks and technical support must also follow accessibility guidelines.
To comply, firms should review whether their services fall under the Directive, check local requirements, audit websites and support channels, update internal policies, train staff, and ensure vendor contracts assign accessibility responsibilities clearly.
For more insights, read the full story here.
Read the daily FinTech news
Copyright © 2025 FinTech Global
Copyright © 2018 RegTech Analyst
