Telephone banking made accessible for the visually impaired

Bank of Valletta, together with the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (FITA) has introduced a new system that enables the Bank's 24x7 telephone banking functionality to become accessible for visually impaired persons.

The telephone banking service from Bank of Valletta will be provided free of charge to all those who are registered with the Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b'Dizabilita (KNPD). A number of services are accessible using the telephone banking service of Bank of Valletta, including transfers between own accounts, account balance enquiries, requests for account statements and copies of cheques as well as access to exchange rate information. These facilities are available both in Maltese and English.

Speaking about the new service, Tonio Depasquale, chief executive officer at Bank of Valletta said: "The enhanced accessibility of the telephone banking service from Bank of Valletta is directed at facilitating and empowering customers with special needs, making their banking simpler and more straightforward".

Michael Micallef, from the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility said: "We are proud of this new service that has stemmed from a professional collaboration between FITA and Bank of Valletta. Indeed, through this initiative, BoV has supported our ongoing commitment to make information communications technology accessible for disabled persons. In fact, all information services provided by FITA seek to assist disabled individuals in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device, intended to increase, maintain, or improve the individual's quality of life."