A new report warns that several UK financial sub-sectors are falling short of regulatory standards for digital accessibility and inclusion – a concern that extends to recruitment and workforce inclusion strategies.

The report* analysed over 270 leading UK companies in nine financially regulated sub-sectors, considering key factors directly related to accessibility and digital inclusion – including page speed, best practices and number of errors. Each sub-sector was then assigned a weighted index score out of 80 to gauge the accessibility of its websites.

The report reveals a stark divide in digital inclusion across the UK’s financial sub-sectors, with many significantly underperforming, indicating widespread accessibility barriers that could exclude millions of users. However, the Equality Act 2010 UK requires all businesses to provide accessible services, which could see firms in these sub-sectors risk non-compliance and potential legal consequences.

Banking emerged as the leading sub-sector for digital inclusion and accessibility, with an index score of 60.4 out of 80, reflecting its widespread adoption of accessibility best practices and compliance with the guidelines set by the World Wide Web Consortium.

Given that 87% of UK adults use online banking, financial institutions in this sub-sector have prioritised digital inclusion, incorporating features such as screen-reader compatibility and easy-to-navigate interfaces.

The sub-sector excelled in accessibility with an impressive score of 92.7 in the report’s Google PageSpeed analysis – the highest across all sub-sectors – reflecting strong usability and adherence to industry standards. It also achieved the fewest number of WAVE accessibility alerts (8.0) when compared to the other sub-sectors.

Pensions and retirement planning (53.4) and insurance and risk management (52.8) follow closely behind in second and third place respectively, while property and real estate finance (35.1) and corporate and specialist services (28.0) appeared in the bottom half of the rankings.

Capital markets and trading scored the lowest in accessibility and digital inclusion, with an index score of 18.2 out of 80. The sub-sector’s average performance score of 53.5 out of 100 in the report’s Google PageSpeed analysis indicates a weaker approach to website speed and optimisation.

Only 4 out of 30 capital markets and trading businesses analysed passed Core Web Vitals, Google’s benchmark for good user experience, demonstrating that the sub-sector lags in fully adopting best practices and optimising the user experience.

The report’s ARC Toolkit Analysis provides further insight into digital accessibility compliance across the financial sector, with financial transaction processing emerging as the sub-sector with the highest number of best practices (35.3).

Similarly, banking demonstrated a high number of best practices (34.3) but also a relatively high number of errors (49.7), while pensions and retirement planning had a very low number of best practices (18.3) but a low number of errors (15.5).

Compliance training must be inclusive of all individuals, including the 10-20% of the global population who are neurodivergent, to ensure accessibility not only for employees who operate company websites but also for customers who use them.

This comes as only 12% of websites worldwide met accessibility standards in 2024, continuing a broader trend of accessibility issues in digital spaces. Previous research found that all 20 of the UK’s leading financial institutions had accessibility errors on their website homepages when tested, underscoring a need for improved compliance.

While digital innovation has transformed the financial sector, inadequate accessibility measures continue to exclude millions of users, exposing businesses to financial, legal, and reputational risks.

Skillcast’s Accessibility in Financial Services Index

Vivek Dodd, CEO at Skillcast, commented:

“As accessibility moves higher up on the regulatory agenda, financial firms in the UK must proactively enhance their digital inclusivity. Implementing World Wide Web Consortium standards, investing in equality and diversity training, and conducting regular accessibility audits are essential steps toward compliance.

“The findings from our ‘Accessibility in Financial Services Report’ highlight the progress and challenges within the industry. While banking leads with an impressive score of 60.4 out of 80, the report uncovers significant errors in other areas, including capital markets and trading and corporate and specialist services, pointing to the urgent need for improvement. These gaps must be addressed to ensure full compliance and a seamless experience for all users, including job seekers and employees with accessibility needs, as well as customers.

“The findings of our report also emphasise that while progress has been made, ongoing investment in digital enhancements and compliance training is crucial for all sectors. As accessibility standards and regulations continue to evolve, prioritising inclusivity will foster a more accessible financial ecosystem, ultimately strengthening customer trust and loyalty.”

* ‘Accessibility in Financial Services Report’  Skillcast