An innovative design revolutionizes payment transactions for blind and visually impaired people in Austria: Together with Mastercard, Unicredit Bank Austria is the first Austrian financial institution to introduce Touch Card ™ – a payment card that can be recognized thanks to notification through touch.
Different notches on the card side – round for debit cards and square for credit cards – enable blind and visually impaired people to identify their payment card independently and in a matter of seconds. And that worldwide, both when paying on the Internet and in shops.
The Touch Card ™ is not only a barrier -free innovation for the blind and visually impaired people, but also a practical solution for everyone who wants to recognize their cards immediately even in poor light or in confusing situations.
That in cooperation with renowned organizations such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and VISIONS Developed card design also combines inclusion with environmental awareness: Made from recycled PVC, every touch card ™ wears the MasterCard Sustainable Card Badge.
Inclusion through innovation
With this development, Mastercard and Unicredit Bank Austria put together a milestone in the direction of a more inclusive society and at the same time strengthen their commitment to barrier -free technologies.
“Customer orientation also means to reduce barriers – and that for everyone”, says Robert Zadrazil, Country Manager Austria Unicredit. “We have been committed to accessibility intensively for over ten years and are a pioneer in this area. It is therefore our claim to enable all customers: the best possible access to our services inside. We are the first bank in Austria to offer the Mastercard Touch Card ™, it will be the card of choice for all Debit and credit cards from UniCredit Bank Austria in the future. ”
“Together with Unicredit Bank Austria, we set new standards for barrier -free banking and show how innovation and inclusion can go hand in hand”, explains Michael Brönner, Country Manager Mastercard Austria. “”The Touch Card ™ shows that large innovations do not have to be complicated. A simple notch makes map payments accessible to all people – that’s exactly what we understand by real inclusion. ”
The importance of this innovation is particularly impressive in the life of the successful paras athlete Veronika Aigner and her sister and Guide Elisabeth, who, together with her family, are part of an emotional campaign videos for Touch Card ™. The two Lower Austrians, who recently won the Para-Ski World Cup in Maribor Gold in the giant slalom of the visually impaired women, are enthusiastic about Touch Card ™. Mastercard has also been a head sponsor of the two athletes since 2023 and supports them on their sporty path. “For us, Touch Card ™ is a real relief in everyday life. Finally we can distinguish our cards independently and quickly – that gives us a new feeling of freedom and independence ”, explains Veronika Aigner.
Touch Card ™: A solution for an increasingly inclusive world
Around 253 million people live with visual impairments worldwide(1)of which around 30 million in Europe and around 300,000 in Austria.(2) Forecasts show that the number of visually impaired people worldwide could triple by 2050. The reason for this is an increasingly old population and changed lifestyle.(3) The Touch Card ™ not only addresses a current necessity, but a social development.
On June 28, 2025, the Barrier Freight Act in Austria, which increases the requirements for companies and enables people with disabilities, to access certain products and services. Mastercard and Unicredit Bank Austria go beyond these specifications with the introduction of Touch Card ™ in order to actively contribute to a more inclusive society.
Strong commitment to more inclusion in Austria
Mastercard is pursuing the goal worldwide to promote inclusion and equal opportunities. In Austria, Mastercard is committed to the inclusion of visually impaired people in addition to the introduction of the Touch Card ™ through art education programs in the Belvedere and through the many years of support as the proud head sponsor of the paras athlete Veronika Aigner and her sister and Guide Elisabeth.
Unicredit Bank Austria is considered a pioneer in the area of accessibility and inclusion and is a leading provider of barrier -free financial services. 100 percent of the branches are barrier-free, including tactile guidelines for people with visual impairments, mobile induction devices for people with listening restrictions or SB devices that are suitable for wheelchair users: inside and have a keyboard with voice output. The bank also offers extensive barrier-free online offers. The future -oriented advisory service in sign language through video received the Zero Project Award.
More pictures in the APATAH-FOTOGALERIE
About Mastercard
(NYSE: MA) is an international technology company in payment transactions. Our goal is to promote an inclusive, digital economy from which everyone involved benefits worldwide. Therefore, we ensure that payments are handled safely, easily and efficiently and made accessible to everyone. Our innovations and solutions are based on safe data and networks and help individuals, financial institutions, governments and companies to fully exploit the range of their possibilities. Our “Decency Quotient” shapes our corporate culture and all our activities. With connections in more than 210 countries and areas, we contribute to a sustainable world that opens up for everyone.
Via Unicredit Bank Austria
UNICREDIT Bank Austria is one of the leading and best-capitalized large banks in Austria and part of Unicredit, a pan-European commercial bank with a unique range of services in Italy, Germany, Austria as well as Central and Eastern Europe. Our goal is to strengthen communities so that they can develop further: by making industry -leading offers and enabling our customers: interior and employees: inside all over Europe to develop their full potential. Digitization and our commitment to the ESG principles (Environment, Social, Governance – Environment, Social Affairs, Sustainable Management) are important prerequisites for our services. They help us to provide excellent performance for our stakeholders: to provide the inside and have a sustainable future for our customers: inside, our communities and employees: to create inside.
(1) The Lancet (2017): Magnitude, temporal trends, and projections of the global prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment
(2) Blind and visually impaired association Austria
(3) The Lancet (2021): Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: vision beyond 2020