There is no escaping. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is coming in fast, effective from June 2025.
The EAA is set to become a key regulation within the European Union, aimed at ensuring that individuals with disabilities and the elderly have better access to products, services, and digital experiences—especially in critical sectors like financial services.
With full implementation required by June 28 of this year, this legislation will impact businesses operating within the EU and globally, prompting a shift toward more inclusive financial services.
As financial products increasingly become digital, accessibility will play a crucial role in ensuring that all customers, regardless of ability, can access essential banking, investment, and insurance services.
Impact on finserv QA
The European regulation will significantly impact software testing within financial services, mandating substantial changes to testing protocols and standards to ensure digital inclusivity for individuals with disabilities.
This regulatory shift requires financial institutions to evaluate, adjust, and verify their software systems meticulously.
Firstly, the EAA emphasizes inclusive design, meaning software testing must now prioritize accessibility at every stage of the software development lifecycle.
Financial services firms need to embed accessibility considerations early, shifting from the traditional end-stage compliance checks to proactive and continuous testing methodologies.
Test cases will require expansion to include scenarios covering visual impairments, like colour blindness and low vision, auditory disabilities, motor impairments, cognitive disabilities, and seizure risks.
Secondly, software testers within financial institutions will increasingly adopt specialized accessibility testing tools and assistive technologies, including screen readers like NVDA or JAWS, magnification software, speech-to-text tools, and keyboard-only navigation testing. Test teams will need training to effectively utilize these tools to simulate end-user experiences authentically.
Thirdly, the EU Act introduces mandatory compliance with internationally recognized accessibility standards, particularly WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines.
Software testing in financial services will thus integrate detailed evaluations against these guidelines, necessitating updated checklists, audit protocols, and comprehensive documentation practices.
Moreover, EAA compliance will require financial services organizations to document testing processes meticulously, demonstrating clear traceability between accessibility requirements, implemented solutions, and testing outcomes.
Regulatory scrutiny will drive organizations toward robust documentation practices, necessitating test management solutions capable of detailed reporting and transparency.
Additionally, automation will become increasingly vital in accessibility testing to efficiently manage the breadth and frequency of required tests.
Automated accessibility testing frameworks such as AXE, Wave, or Lighthouse will become integral parts of testing pipelines, enabling rapid identification and remediation of accessibility issues during continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes.
However, automation alone won’t suffice; human-driven exploratory testing remains critical for uncovering nuanced accessibility issues and validating real-world usability.
Enforcement
The EAA’s enforcement implications are also substantial.
Financial institutions risk facing significant penalties, legal challenges, and reputational damage for non-compliance, reinforcing the necessity for rigorous and comprehensive software testing regimes.
Firms will likely adopt accessibility-specific audits regularly, aligning with broader regulatory compliance frameworks within financial services.
Additionally, the EAA promotes increased awareness and training within financial services organizations. Software testers will require training to deeply understand accessibility principles and standards.
Such knowledge will ensure testers can adequately identify accessibility issues, provide valuable feedback to developers, and engage in meaningful remediation efforts.
Financial services firms may also experience a shift toward inclusive hiring practices, welcoming testers with lived experiences of disability, enhancing authenticity and effectiveness of testing efforts.
Diverse testing teams provide insights that can significantly enrich testing outcomes, highlighting accessibility challenges traditional testing approaches might overlook.
Lastly, the financial services industry will likely see heightened collaboration between software testers, developers, product owners, compliance officers, and accessibility experts.
The EAA necessitates cross-functional alignment and communication to ensure accessibility is seamlessly integrated throughout the product lifecycle. Software testing teams will therefore need strong collaborative tools and processes to facilitate this integration effectively.
In summary, the European Accessibility Act significantly reshapes software testing in financial services by mandating inclusive design practices, extensive use of specialized tools, adherence to WCAG standards, rigorous documentation, and continuous automated and manual testing practices.
The Act not only introduces stricter compliance requirements but also encourages greater inclusivity, collaboration, and cultural shifts within financial services, ultimately enhancing software accessibility for all users.
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