Nationwide has confirmed that a major change will be implemented across all of its branches by May, emerging as the first major UK banking institution to release comprehensive access guides. The scheme, created alongside accessibility experts AccessAble, will enable customers to verify beforehand whether branches satisfy their requirements, from step-free entry to hearing loops and British Sign Language (BSL) assistance. Nationwide has rolled out a new initiative across more than 500 of its branches, with guides for over 500 branches currently available and all 605 scheduled to be included by the end of May 2026.
The bank has committed to maintaining all of its 605 locations open until at minimum 2030. The initiative is intended to harness the so-called 'Purple Pound' - the purchasing power of disabled households - valued at approximately £446bn annually. Nationwide is calling upon businesses throughout all industries to publish accessibility information online, maintaining it represents a straightforward and economical measure that could prove transformative.
Around one in four people in the UK live with an access need. That’s why we’re working with AccessAble to launch detailed visual access guides for all 605 of our branches – giving clear information about disabled access before you visit.
Accessibility organisations supported the appeal, noting that insufficient clear information remains amongst the greatest barriers for disabled individuals - both as consumers and workers. Companies that enhance accessibility are more likely to secure repeat patronage and recommendations. The Research Institute for Disabled Consumers told Nationwide that 82% of disabled people cite missing accessibility details as the biggest barrier to assessing accessibility, and 79% said they struggle to judge a service's accessibility in advance.
In a competitive context, Virgin Money is anticipated to introduce similar guides for its 91 branches by 2026's conclusion. Nationwide partnered with accessibility experts AccessAble to create the guides, which include features such as step-free access, hearing loops, lowered counters, and British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. The specific criteria or metrics defining 'comprehensive access guides' and how they were developed with AccessAble remain unclear, as does how Nationwide plans to measure the impact or success of this accessibility initiative.
It is also unknown whether other major UK banks beyond Virgin Money have concrete plans to introduce similar accessibility guides, or what specific actions or policies Nationwide is advocating for in its call to other industries to publish accessibility information.