- Miscommunication and misunderstanding driving 90% of debt cases1 involving British Sign Language (BSL) users – report shows
- Financial services collaboration on deaf inclusion up 500% since 2022
- While interpretation services are up 30% amongst financial services firms, up to 70% of charitymoneyPLUS users are unaware of support available
- Deaf Inclusion Industry Group highlights need for Deaf Financial Services Code of Practice to support consistency, confidence and accountability across the sector
A new report sets out the steps needed to help improve the financial lives of deaf people, as miscommunication and misunderstanding drives nine in ten (90%) debt cases among British Sign Language (BSL) users.¹
While banks and building societies are making positive progress by working together on inclusive solutions, significant barriers remain compounded by systemic issues.
A key root cause includes the ‘overhearing gap’ – the disadvantage faced by many deaf people who grow up without a shared language at home and worsened by the lack of consistent access to funded provision of BSL for families. With 90 per cent of deaf children born to hearing parents, everyday communication and incidental learning are often inaccessible from an early age.
ActionAble’s new Deaf Equity in Financial Services Report, published by ImpactMatch in partnership with deafPLUS, Signing Banks UK and Nationwide, combines industry insight with the lived experience of BSL users to show what is changing – and what must change next – to deliver deaf equity and help improve financial lives of deaf people.
The report highlights encouraging progress, with the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group (DIIG), founded from within the banking sector itself – growing from seven to 42 financial organisations – a 500 per cent increase since 2022 – and video interpretation services increasing by 30 per cent in that time. However, money management and debt outcomes remain unequal for many of the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus², as hearing-centric systems and attitudes continue to disadvantage deaf people.
The report finds these challenges begin early, with only 34 per cent of deaf pupils achieving a Grade 5 in English and Maths in 2024, compared with 46 per cent of other pupils. It also shows that 60–70 per cent of deaf service users did not use, or were unaware of, accessibility services such as Video Relay – highlighting that access alone is not enough.
Rather than calling for the creation of isolated accessibility services alone, the report urges systemic change, including exploring the development of a Deaf Services Code of Practice – building on existing industry codes to support consistency, confidence and accountability across the sector. It also advocates BSL-first communications in high-risk areas, ‘Tell Us Once’ approaches, and embedding co-design with deaf users as standard practice.
Further findings:
- Only 18 per cent of financial institutions provide fraud and scam information in BSL.
- 76 per cent do not monitor fraud or scam risk specifically for BSL users.
- 79 per cent of moneyPLUS cases required third-party support to help with debt or budgeting.
- Communication barriers – particularly where English is not a customer’s first language – remain a key driver of poorer outcomes for some deaf BSL users.
- Embedding deaf lived experience into service design consistently leads to better outcomes for both customers and colleagues.
Read the full report and register for a discussion on the report findings here: https://impactmatch.global/deaf-equity-financial-services-2026-report/
Kathryn Townsend, Founder and Chair of the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group – and Head of Customer Accessibility at Nationwide, said: “This report shows the progress that’s possible when the sector listens to and works alongside the deaf community. But when inaccessibility and miscommunication still lead to exclusion and debt, it’s clear hearing-centred systems continue to fall short. Deaf equity means designing services with deaf customers, not around them. Nationwide is proud to be leading that shift through its actions on deaf inclusion and in working with others across the industry to accelerate progress towards deaf equity.”
Sara Weller CBE, Co-Founder of ActionAble, said: “True disability inclusion is a growth strategy, not just a social obligation. With 25% of the UK identifying as disabled, ActionAble is working directly at board level to reframe this ‘Disability Dividend’ as a primary driver for innovation and market leadership. Leveraging the rigorous data analysis provided by ImpactMatch, we are proud to partner with Nationwide, the DIIG (Deaf Inclusion Industry Group), deafPLUS and Signing Banks UK to turn lived experience into actionable commercial intelligence. This report challenges leaders to see accessibility as the foundation of their ambition, and we are committed to sharing these insights with the C-suite to accelerate a more equitable industry growth strategy and future for everyone.”
Reg Cobb, CEO of deafPLUS: “This report matters because it brings into focus something that is too often overlooked. For deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users, the challenges around money don’t begin when they try to access a service, they begin much earlier.”
¹ deafPLUS/moneyPLUS charity: 85 BSL-using clients (80 in Greater London), providing direct insight into real-world financial journeys of deaf BSL users experiencing financial difficulty.
² Prevalence of deafness and hearing loss – RNID
About the Partners
- ActionAble: ActionAble exists to make inclusion a leadership priority, not a side project. We empower organisations across the UK to move beyond talk and into action, supporting senior leaders to take bold, measurable steps toward disability inclusion.
- Deaf Inclusion Industry Group: Comprising of 42 banks, building societies, digital-only lenders, insurers, debt charities and others, and Signing banks UK. The group is founded and chaired by Kathryn Townsend, Head of Customer Vulnerability at Nationwide.
- deafPLUS / moneyPLUS: At deafPLUS, we are committed to breaking through the barriers and integrating deaf and hard-of-hearing people into the wider society. Our team is passionate about providing support to those who are deaf and hard of hearing people and ensuring they have access to the resources they need. On the 16th of April 2026, deafPLUS merged with Action Deafness, another deaf charity, with the aim of strengthening and enhancing the services delivered by both organisations. The work of moneyPLUS will continue under Action Deafness, led by Reg.
- ImpactMatch: ImpactMatch is the delivery partner behind the ActionAble movement co-founded by Sara Weller CBE and Leigh Smyth (Founder of ImpactMatch). ImpactMatch, founded by Leigh Smyth, the author of this report, is an end-to-end social impact partner. We deliver the plan, people, partnerships and support that match responsible intent to impact, powered by our community of #ImpactMakers. Our vision is to live in a world where every organisation and leader generates measurable social impact.
- Nationwide Building Society: Nationwide has funded the creation of this report. Nationwide is the world’s largest building society, with over 16 million members. Following its acquisition of Virgin Money UK PLC, Nationwide is connected with one in three people in the UK and is the second largest provider of mortgages and retail deposits. It is also a major provider of current accounts, credit cards, personal loans and business banking. Customers can choose to manage their finances in a branch, via mobile app, the internet, telephone, and post. Nationwide has around 25,000 employees and its head office is in Swindon, UK. As a financial services provider owned by its members, not shareholders, Nationwide’s purpose is: Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.
- Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID): RNID is the national charity supporting more than 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
- British Deaf Association (BDA): BDA is the UK’s national deaf-led membership organisation representing deaf people who use BSL in the UK and Irish Sign Language (ISL) in Northern Ireland. We exist to ensure a world in which the language, culture, community, diversity and heritage of deaf people in the UK is respected and fully protected.
- Signing banks UK: Signing Banks started as an Erasmus+-funded European collaborative project which set out to support better inclusion of the deaf community in four countries. ESquared, a small social enterprise, was the UK partner. In 2023 we created Signing banks.UK as a dedicated resource to provide a sustainable interface between banking and financial service organisations in the UK and their deaf customers. ESquared began working with Kathryn Townsend in 2022, when she brought together representatives of many of the leading banks and financial organisations to form the Deaf Inclusion Industry Group. Signing banks UK secured sponsorship from Nationwide and Kathryn has been a key supporter of our work.
