The central bank’s revised 'Direction No 20/082, Point No. 4' explicitly addresses the long-standing physical and systemic barriers faced by senior citizens, non-literate individuals, and people living with physical or visual impairments across Nepal.
Under the newly enforced directive, all BFIs are required to to establish specialized service counters to ensure easy, seamless, and dignified transactions for vulnerable demographics.
To eliminate the systemic issue of rural exclusion, the NRB has dictated that commercial banks must configure at least one branch in every local government tier (local level) to be entirely disabled-friendly. Furthermore, financial institutions are legally required to list these designated accessible branches clearly on their public websites to assist clients in planning their visits from home.
Similarly, addressing the high risk of PIN theft and financial fraud encountered by visually impaired individuals who frequently rely on strangers for assistance, sub-point (3) of the directive targets ATM infrastructures. NRB clearly states, "The licensed institution shall place at least one disabled-friendly ATM with Braille signs control buttons and audio support at the place where the ATM lounge is located."
The rollout guarantees that visually impaired clients can privately complete cash transactions utilizing tactile Braille keypads and audio instructions via headphones. Complementing this hardware update, banks must now issue credit and debit cards equipped with distinct tactile features, allowing visually impaired clients to distinguish different bank cards by touch.
Historically, financial institutions routinely denied electronic banking services—including debit cards, mobile banking apps, and internet banking—to disabled individuals under the internal pretext of institutional risk management.
The central bank has thoroughly dismantled this gatekeeping practice via sub-point (4). The provision dictates that if a person with a disability self-declares their capability to operate digital financial products, the licensed institution is legally obligated to provision the service without questioning their capacity.
By enforcing the structural mantra of "Bank for All, Banking for All," this regulatory framework establishes a benchmark for human rights in the South Asian financial sector, securing financial independence for thousands of citizens.
