PDF accessibility for banks and financial services firms
The BFSG requires the financial sector to provide accessible consumer banking services, including the associated documents. Accessful automatically remediates account statements, contracts and product information in line with PDF/UA-2 and WCAG 2.2 – directly from your systems through the API if required.
The challenge
Banks and financial services firms generate large volumes of customer documents every day. Account statements, transaction summaries and billing statements are produced automatically by core banking, contract and output-management systems. Manually remediating these document streams is neither practical nor economically viable.
At the same time, the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) has also applied to the financial sector since June 28, 2025: banking services for consumers - such as accounts, payment services and consumer loans - must be accessible. This includes the information you provide to your customers as a PDF.
The documents themselves are also complex. Schedules of prices and services, securities information and data-heavy financial documents contain nested tables that screen readers can interpret only when headers, cell associations and reading order are tagged correctly. Accessful automates this structural work for both archived documents and daily output.
Typical documents
- Account statements and transaction summaries
- Schedules of prices and services
- Credit and loan agreements
- Product and securities information
- General terms and conditions and contract documents
- Financial statements and reports
How Accessful helps banks and financial services firms
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Directly from the core banking system
The REST API accepts file uploads or URL lists and returns results through webhooks, allowing daily document streams to pass through remediation without manual intervention.
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Batch processing for high volumes
Thousands of documents in one run, results typically in seconds - from the inventory archive to ongoing daily production.
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Complex tables structured correctly
Transaction lists, price schedules and data-heavy financial documents receive correct table headers, cell associations and a logical reading order – all essential for screen-reader access.
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Audit report for every document
Every remediated document receives an audit-ready report, providing reliable evidence for internal and external audits.
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Layout and content unchanged
Only the structural layer is added: tags, reading order and alt text. The appearance of your documents remains identical.
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Operation in your infrastructure
For sensitive customer data, Accessful can run entirely on premises – optionally air-gapped and using your own AI models behind your firewall.
Legal framework
- BFSG (German Accessibility Strengthening Act)
- Implements the European Accessibility Act (EAA) into German law. Since June 28, 2025, consumer banking services - including accounts, payment services and consumer loans - must be provided in an accessible manner. This also includes the associated information, which is often provided as a PDF.
- EN 301 549, WCAG 2.2 and PDF/UA-2
- The European standard EN 301 549 specifies the technical requirements and refers to WCAG 2.2. PDF/UA-2 is the relevant standard for PDF documents. Accessful audits and remediates against exactly these standards.
- BITV 2.0 for publicly owned institutions
- Development banks, state banks and other publicly owned institutions may also qualify as public-sector bodies under Directive (EU) 2016/2102 and BITV 2.0. Their documents must then be accessible independently of the BFSG.
Note: This content provides general information about legal requirements and does not constitute legal advice.
Frequently asked questions for this sector
Are banking services covered by the BFSG?
Yes. The BFSG covers consumer banking services including accounts, payment services and consumer credit. The associated information provided as PDFs must also be accessible. For a detailed overview, see BFSG & accessible PDFs.
How can system-generated documents such as account statements be remediated?
Use the REST API to submit files or URL lists from your systems. Accessful remediates them automatically and reports completion through a webhook, so daily document output moves through remediation without manual intervention. For implementation details, see API & Integration.
Can Accessful handle the complex tables in financial documents?
Yes. Tables in schedules of prices and services, transaction summaries and securities information receive correct headers, cell associations and a logical reading order. The visible layout remains unchanged; Accessful adds only the structural layer.
Does processing require customer data to leave our organisation?
No. By default, Accessful processes documents in ISO/IEC 27001-certified data centres in Germany. For stricter requirements, choose the on-premises deployment: Accessful then runs entirely within your infrastructure – optionally air-gapped and using your own AI models.
What happens if internal or external auditors reject a remediated document?
The remediation guarantee applies. If a document remediated by Accessful is not recognised as accessible during an accessibility audit, we will remediate it free of charge. Every document also comes with an audit-ready report as evidence for internal and external audits. Terms are available on the Pricing page.
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