Oschadbank reported on the progress of its inclusive program "My Barrier-Free" 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 introduction 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. 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 Barrier-Free" was announced in October last year. At the forum, the bank shared its first results. Thus, as for the physical accessibility of branches, in less than six months, 87 more Oschadbank branches have received the status of inclusive. The Oschad brand book was updated accordingly. Oschadbank developed and adopted new standards for servicing people with disabilities and veterans separately. To implement the new service model, which provides for specialized services, the bank launched a large-scale training program called "Inclusively Friendly", which consists of offline and online training. First of all, top managers of the financial institution were trained in barrier-free communication offline, and later more than 600 employees from 21 regional offices were trained. It is planned that the majority of Oschadbank 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 contributed to 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 in 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 "Leg Dump", in which war veteran Oleksandr Teren inspects Ukrainian cities for barrier-free accessibility. The list of such initiatives of Oschadbank is constantly growing.

"The gradual introduction of barrier-free accessibility is a requirement of the time. We have to go this way together, because this is required by the EU norms, 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 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 state, 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 Barrier-Free Forum", said Serhiy 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 barrier-free 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 of Visa in Ukraine and Moldova.

 

The My Barrier-Free Forum was supported by 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.

Oshchadbank  is a leading Ukrainian universal commercial bank, 100% owned by the state. Since the beginning 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 resumed 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 global leader in the electronic payments industry. Visa processes transactions between consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in 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 are convinced that expanding access for everyone in the economy helps to increase the well-being of people around the world and will become the basis for the global movement of money in the future.

Press service of Oschadbank