MONETA Money Bank : makes Internet Bank available. Blind and partially sighted people can use the read-aloud function

Moneta makes Internet Bank available. Blind and partially sighted people can use the read- aloud function

Prague, 5 January 2022

Another barrier for the visually impaired broken. Internet Bank is newly tuned for a program that reproduces visual content in audio form for visually impaired users. Thanks to the optimisation, on which the MONETA Group developers worked intensively with the users themselves, blind and partially sighted people can now easily navigate the online banking system and use it comfortably.

In general, a website or a mobile app can be considered accessible if a person with a disability can use it effectively with the help of assistive technologies and special programs. A recent innovation in Internet Bank is the adaptation of its environment for a programme that reproduces visual content in audio form for users with reduced visual abilities. However, this is not standard among developers. "When developers and coders of websites and mobile apps ignore accessibility, which unfortunately happens quite often, it does not mean that the reader cannot reproduce the content. But the problem is that the result is confusing and therefore it is very difficult for a person with a disability to navigate the site," points out one of the developers, Tomáš Kakáč.

As the development team itself admits, the most helpful part of their work was the contact with the reader users themselves, based on testing and in-depth interviews. These tests helped the team to better put themselves in the shoes of the blind user. "A person who doesn't have vision problems is used to websites having a certain hierarchy, which they often don't even have to think about. In short, he or she sees the whole, which consists of the logo, page header, text blocks, boxes, buttons, photos and other elements. Visually impaired people don't have this option, so we need to ensure that the content conveyed by the reader makes sense to the user," confirmed Tomáš Kakáč.

According to another member of the team, Petr Moravec, it is also important that the accessibility improvement is not only for blind people, but also for people who have poor vision or difficulties with colour recognition. "Then we work with the contrast of the text and fine-tuneother visual elements. And another group of users whose needs we take into account are people with limited mobility who use the keyboard to navigate the web," says Petr Moravec.

According to a survey by the Czech Statistical Office, in 2013 there were 65,000 people in the Czech Republic with visual impairments that cannot be corrected with glasses or lenses. Other estimates suggest that people with severe visual impairment make up approximately 1% of the population, so there would be around 100,000 people in the Czech Republic. In addition to people with visual impairments, there are also people with limited mobility, which makes it difficult for them to browse standard websites or use mobile applications.

For more information, please contact:

Zuzana Filipová, mob.: [phone], [e-mail]

Beaufort PR

Jan Cihlář, [phone], [e-mail] or Media Service [e-mail] and www.moneta.cz

MONETA Money Bank, a.s., which is the controlling person of MONETA holding, is a leading independent Czech bank, servicing clients through its nationwide branch network. The bank has been traded on the Prime Market of Prague Stock Exchange since 2016. The bank has focused on retail and SME oriented business model with a strong position in the consumer and agriculture segments. In addition, the bank provides customers with insurance products and investment funds. MONETA serves more than 13% of the Czech population via an omni-channel distribution strategy which includes 154 branches and 555 ATMs, a market-leading digital banking platform, a call centre, auto dealers, building society and mortgage bank, brokers and leasing partners.

At the turn of last year, MONETA launched a redesigned version of its Internet Bank, which was largely inspired by Smart Banka, the most acclaimed domestic banking app for smartphones. The extremely good rating of the Smart Banka app reflects a strong appeal to the user experience, and Internet Bank is now being built along these lines. The fact that MONETA is doing the right thing is confirmed not only by client satisfaction, but also by this year's Innovator of the Year award in the Best Bank competition, where it was recognised specifically for its online services.

For more information, please contact:

Zuzana Filipová, mob.: [phone], [e-mail]

Beaufort PR

Jan Cihlář, [phone], [e-mail] or Media Service [e-mail] and www.moneta.cz

MONETA Money Bank, a.s., which is the controlling person of MONETA holding, is a leading independent Czech bank, servicing clients through its nationwide branch network. The bank has been traded on the Prime Market of Prague Stock Exchange since 2016. The bank has focused on retail and SME oriented business model with a strong position in the consumer and agriculture segments. In addition, the bank provides customers with insurance products and investment funds. MONETA serves more than 13% of the Czech population via an omni-channel distribution strategy which includes 154 branches and 555 ATMs, a market-leading digital banking platform, a call centre, auto dealers, building society and mortgage bank, brokers and leasing partners.