Availability of products and services

Increasing the availability of products and services is one of the twelve commitments set out in the CSR Strategy of the Bank. We therefore strive to adapt our products and services to the needs of the disabled, the elderly and groups at risk of exclusion.

As a responsible financial institution, we value diversity. We employ people with disabilities and invite them to cooperate with our Bank as Clients.

Our goal is to provide easy and equal access to banking for all Clients and to facilitate the work of employees with disabilities. We therefore introduce various adjustments to our product offer and to our branches. The goal is to make them fully accessible to people with disabilities, the elderly, representatives of vulnerable groups and those at risk of exclusion.

Introduced improvements:

• The services of a Polish sign language interpreter – available free of charge in every branch and on the hotline.
• Access to document templates in the form of audio recordings, enlarged printouts and Braille translations.
• Each branch is equipped with a magnifying glass for the visually impaired and a frame which facilitates signing.
• ATMs adapted to the needs of the visually impaired.
• Branches are architecturally adapted to the needs of people with mobility issues (51 verified with a „Facility without barriers” certificate).
• The Bank’s Local Ambassadors provide remote financial education to the elderly at Third Age Universities (in cooperation with the National Institute of Silver Economy).

We meet the requirements of the Act of July 19, 2019 on ensuring accessibility for people with special needs.

As at December 31, 2020, the Bank had 459 retail and business banking branches (including 17 partner branches). The branch network is supported by 15 Wealth Management Centres. Banking products and services dedicated to corporate Customers were sold by 50 SME Business Centres, operating within 8 SME Banking Regional Branches. In the largest Polish centres of industry and services, the Bank has 25 Corporate Business Centres operating within 9 Regional Corporate Business Centres. At the end of December 2020, the Bank had a network of 462 cash deposit machines (supporting cash deposits, deposits and withdrawals with proximity cards and BLIK codes, cash withdrawals with Google Pay and Apple Pay) and 140 ATMs (only for standard withdrawals and transactions supported by the VISA and MasterCard systems).

In 2020, we continued the transformation of the Bank’s branches which began in 2017. The aims were to adapt the facilities to the needs of Customers as well as to continue the digital transformation of our products, services and processes. As a result, 22 branches of the Bank were digitised and redesigned in 2020. Since the beginning of the transformation, 161 branches have been modernised. In total, as at December 31, 2020, the Bank had 179 branches which adhere to the new standards (including 161 branches after transformation and 18 branches which did not need redesigning). In 122 branches (including 2 partner branches), cash services were provided only through self-service devices.

The redesigned branches feature a number of solutions which improve service, including:

• modern recyclers which allow contactless deposits and withdrawals as well as BLIK operations and thus provide 24-hour access to cash transactions;
• instant issuing allows Customers to receive a card for their account right away in selected branches;
• free WiFi allows Customers to use the GOmobile banking application;
• tablets are provided at branches, allowing Customers to log-in to the GOonline electronic banking system.

Selected digitised branches have a comfortable area for meetings with a consultant, as well as coworking zones, where you can work undisturbed and have access to a printer. Our Clients can also use conference rooms for business meetings.

Branches are child-friendly, which allows adults to use the Bank’s services comfortably. The branches are an open, modern and ecological space. Their main motif is a tree.

In 2020 the Bank continued an intensive development of remote channels, implementing a number of functionalities to strengthen its competitive position, reduce service costs and improve the quality of customer service while ensuring the highest security standards.

In addition, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bank’s focus in the Internet banking system was also on providing customer support in remote access to banking services and products. BNP Paribas Bank Polska has consistently introduced, into its e-banking offer, new self-service processes, which allow customers to fulfill their most important needs on a daily basis without the need to visit a branch – starting from the application for additional products, through after-sales service – from any device and at a time convenient for them.

In October 2020. Bank won second place in the Remote Banking category in the „Newsweek’s Friendly Bank” ranking.

In November 2019, to provide people with special needs with full access to our services, we introduced templates of our documents in the form of sign language videos. In 2020, we introduced the services of online sign language interpreters via the “Migam” application. Hearing impaired Customers can connect to an interpreter using tablets which are available in branches. They can also access the application on their own phone: through a web browser or by scanning a QR code on the branch door. In addition, to further facilitate services, sign language appointments can be arranged through the “Booksy” application. More information about Booksy is available at: https://www.bnpparibas.pl/kontakt/booksy. From November 2020, meetings with the Bank’s advisers can also be booked via the Bank’s website (in addition to the possibility of arranging them by phone or in the Booksy app).

Customers can use the services of a sign language interpreter on our Helpline and can order sign language videos with the content of our documents. To connect to a “Migam” interpreter on our Helpline, visit: https://tlumacz.migam.org/bnpparibas.

In order to ensure the full access to our services for persons with visual disabilities, in January 2019 we introduced audio templates of our documents, enlarged printouts and Braille translations. Each branch is equipped with a magnifying glass for the visually impaired and a frame that facilitates signing. ATMs adapted to the needs of the visually impaired were also introduced. They are equipped with headphone sockets and a numeric keypad with Braille markings. At branches, transparent glass elements are covered with information and patterns, which ensures high visibility for the visually impaired.

We adapt branches to the needs of Customers and employees with reduced mobility. The architectural solutions introduced in branches address the needs of people in wheelchairs and those with mobility issues, as well as the needs of the blind, visually impaired and deaf. The facilities are also adapted to the needs of the elderly and parents with small children. In each branch with the „Facility without barriers” certificate, a wheelchair can access all the functions of the facility. Each type of service point has at least one version fully adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. All doors and partitions in the branches meet the width requirements for people with reduced mobility.

At the end of 2020, 51 branches of the Bank had the „Facility without barriers” certificates, which attest that they are accessible to people with disabilities. More branches are in the process of audit and certification. The certificate is awarded by the Integration Foundation to institutions that have implemented facilities for people in wheelchairs, with mobility issues, the blind, the visually impaired, the deaf. The institutions also need to be adapted to the needs of the elderly and parents/guardians of young children. A person moving in a wheelchair needs to be able to access all the services available to other Customers. Further solutions introduced in our branches include, i.a. the high visibility of transparent elements for the visually impaired people, width of doors and partitions adapted to the needs of people with mobility issues, the accessibility of ATMs.

We are a partner of the National Institute of Silver Economy, and we were the first financial institution in Poland to receive the OK SENIOR® certificate of quality. It attests that senior (60+) Clients are served with the following principles in mind:

• SAFE – facilities meet the highest safety standards,
• INTELLIGIBLE – advisers verify whether the Client can hear them well, use accessible language, offer pen and paper for note-taking, offer large-font printed materials,
• ACCESSIBLE – facilities are easily accessible,
• meeting the NEEDS – we respond to the real needs of seniors and protect them against abuse.

The certificate attests that seniors (60+) are an important group of Customers and the Bank is constantly adapting its services to their needs. The certificates are issued by OK SENIOR Polska sp.z o.o. sp. k. in partnership with the National Institute of Silver Economy. Prior to certification, the Bank’s branches were visited by Senior-citizen Auditors who verified that the standards of Customer service adhere to the guidelines of the OK SENIOR^® Certification Program. The main areas of the audit are infrastructure, branch design, Customer service, queue management and the bank’s internal quality standards.

We regularly analyse all access channels to our offer in terms of their functionality and user-friendliness. In 2017, we adapted the bank’s website to some of the WCAG 2.0. accessibility standards for people with disabilities. In 2020, we commissioned an accessibility audit of our website www.bnpparibas.pl.

In December 2019, we introduced a solution that allows blind people to access the content on our social media. Images published on our Facebook page are accompanied by special descriptions, so that they are accessible to the visually impaired.

In addition to traditional channels, the Bank has significantly developed its remote channels. Customers can now access our new online (GOonline) and mobile (GOmobile) banking platforms, which are constantly being improved. In 2020, we launched a new version of GOonline Biznes, which was designed with convenience and self-service in mind. Users can easily authorise and monitor their activities. The employed technological solutions are in line with the latest market trends. They allow users to introduce changes in a continuous mode, without the so-called “technical downtime”. During periods of higher traffic (holidays, sales, etc.), we can increase the computing power in order to meet Customer requirements.

In 2018, we joined the Partnership for Accessibility program developed by the Ministry of Investment and Economic Development, as part of the Accessibility Plus initiative. The signatories of the document commit to the idea of accessibility and equal treatment, and aim to level opportunities and access for all citizens to the physical, social, and cultural environment, as well as to recreation, leisure, sports, healthcare, education, work, transport, information and communication. Our goal is to adapt our products and services to the needs of people with disabilities and special needs, as well as to the needs of the elderly and those at risk of exclusion.

The Integration Foundation is one of the largest organisations in Poland which actively support people with disabilities. For 25 years, it has been educating, raising awareness, helping people with disabilities to find employment, and supporting the elimination of social, architectural and digital barriers.

The Bank is a long-term partner of the Foundation. The Foundation supports the Bank with regard to increasing the availability and user-friendliness of its services. As part of the cooperation, the Bank transforms, audits and certifies branches to ensure their accessibility for people with disabilities. Digital channels are also adapted to current standards. We have been supporting the Integration Foundation for many years. We are in constant cooperation and we are a sponsor of the annual Grand Gala of Integration, the largest event for people with disabilities in Poland. The BNP Paribas Foundation is also a partner of the “Finance and Insurance” section on the nie-pełnosprawni.pl portal created by the Integration Foundation.

In 2020, BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A. received the Friend of Integration Medal for its consistent policy of improving accessibility to all Customers.

We are a partner of the Accessible ATM project, whose aim is to counteract social and digital exclusion by eliminating restrictions and increasing access to financial services. The Accessible ATM project includes a freely accessible online platform with a database of ATMs adapted to the needs of people with various disabilities. The information related to ATMs – their location and types of adaptations – enables people with disabilities to be active and independent. The project is implemented by the Polish Bank Association, in cooperation with Polish banks and the “Widzialni” Foundation, with the support and under the patronage of the National Bank of Poland and the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology.

We are a partner of the National Institute of Silver Economy. Representatives of the Institute conduct mentoring workshops for the Bank’s employees on how to effectively support seniors. As part of the partnership, the Bank’s Local Ambassadors gave out over 10,000 Senior Passports. The document allows seniors to list emergency contacts and provide emergency medical information. It also contains a list of age-based public benefits and reliefs, and a list of useful contacts. The passport is part of the “Senior Means Respect “campaign.

Our Bank was the first financial institution on the Polish market to receive the OK SENIOR^® quality certificate for adapting the Bank’s branches to the needs of people over 60.

Migam.org was established in 2011 and its main focus is sign language, Deaf Clients and improving communication between Deaf Clients and Customer-service employees. The first endeavour of the company was to develop a free dictionary for learning sign language. The dictionary is accessible to this day. Currently, Migam.org offers sign language training, publishes sign language textbooks, translates texts and videos into sign language, and provides the services of an online sign language interpreter, the “Migam Translator”. Migam’s cooperation with the Bank is focused on increasing the availability and user-friendliness of services for people with a hearing disability.

DEAF RESPECT is a foundation which cooperates with companies and institutions to increase their accessibility to the deaf community, thus supporting the social and professional activity of the hearing impaired. The Foundation undertakes initiatives which raise the awareness of employees and Customers regarding the linguistic and cultural minority of the Deaf. In 2020, the DEAF RESPECT Foundation supported the introduction sign language interpreter services at The Bank, i.a. by carrying out an audit of the quality of Migam services addressed to deaf Customers.