Oschadbank and Visa hosted the second “My Accessibility: True Stories” forum in Kyiv

KYIV, August 15, 2025 — On August 14, 2025, the “Business Without Barriers” community held a meeting in the capital at the “My Accessibility: True Stories” forum, hosted by Oschadbank and Visa. The event brought together more than 300 guests and served as a platform for sharing experiences in implementing barrier-free and inclusive principles in Ukraine.

Among the forum’s speakers were First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine Andrii Pyshnyi, representatives of specialized ministries, local authorities, public organizations, as well as leaders of member companies of the “Business Without Barriers” community.

Anton Tiutiun, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Oschadbank, shared the bank’s vision and experience in creating a barrier-free environment. He spoke about the team’s journey from opening the first inclusive branches in 2014 to current projects aimed at eliminating not only physical but also communication barriers. According to him, ramps and call buttons represent only the basic level of accessibility. True accessibility begins with the ability to communicate with clients in ways that reflect their needs and capabilities.

“Our bank is at a new stage of implementing inclusive principles. Physical accessibility is a must-have, but true accessibility begins with accessible communication, especially for those who cannot read SMS messages or hear a call from the contact center. To address this, we are implementing an individual accessibility model to know our customer not only by financial and demographic data, but also by behavioral characteristics. This allows us to take communication patterns into account and customize our approach so that each person receives services in a format convenient for them — without unnecessary barriers, stress or additional explanations,” said Anton Tiutiun.

Today, Oschadbank operates 710 inclusive branches and 10 mobile branches, while working to ensure that clients can access services without barriers in physical branches, digital channels, or through the contact center.

The “My Accessibility: True Stories” forum focused on practical experience — measures taken, mistakes made, lessons learned, and joint progress forward. In particular, representatives of Visa and Oschadbank presented cases of implementing inclusion in banking and payment technologies. Oleksandr Yablunivskyi, Visa Vice President of Products and Solutions in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, shared the company’s global vision, where artificial intelligence becomes a key driver of inclusion, and highlighted opportunities that AI agents and the Visa Intelligent Commerce initiative create for developing barrier-free commerce.

“For Visa, accessibility is not just a declaration but a daily practice embodied in products and solutions that make convenient digital payments accessible to everyone, everywhere. We support SMEs, women’s entrepreneurship, veterans, and local communities, because we believe equal opportunities are the foundation of countries’ and economies’ prosperity. This is exactly what the “My Accessibility” forum was about — real actions, not loud words, and the synergy of businesses, the state, and the public, who continue to work together to build an inclusive future for Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Yablunivskyi.

The event also featured interactive zones where visitors could experience sensory relief, learn about the rehabilitation journey of veterans with limb amputations, and firsthand explore the challenges faced by wheelchair users or people with visual impairments.

“Ukraine has already come a long way in bringing to life the philosophy of barrier-free living, proposed by the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska, across spaces, services, and the way we interact. How we treat each other — accepting diversity, respecting experience — determines the decisions we make. These are like changes at the molecular level: they are not always visible here and now but inevitably transform the structure of everything they touch over time,” noted Oksana Zbitnieva, Head of the “Barrier-Free” NGO and Head of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program “How Are You?”.

The "My Accessibility: True Stories" forum, organized by Oschadbank and Visa, is the partners’ second joint event continuing the discussion on building an inclusive environment in Ukraine. The first "My Accessibility" forum was held on April 24, 2024.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at visa.com.ua.

About Oschadbank

Oschadbank is the leading Ukrainian universal commercial bank, 100% of whose shares belong to the state. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Oschadbank, as a systemically important bank, has primarily concentrated its efforts on ensuring smooth operation at all levels. Oschadbank has the largest network, which includes about 1,200 branches and provides services to more than 6.6 million customers.

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