Banking · Digital accessibility

Banking accessibility in Morocco: applying the Bank Al-Maghrib charter with WCAG 2.2

Updated on 26 September 2026. Regulatory facts checked on that date.

Since 1 March 2023, Moroccan banks have committed, under the aegis of Bank Al-Maghrib, to making their branches, ATMs, web portals and mobile apps accessible. The charter asks them to audit their digital services against WCAG 2.1 and then fix the gaps. Auditing against WCAG 2.2 today covers that commitment and prepares for European standards. VOID runs the audit, prioritises the fixes and delivers them: see our RGAA and WCAG 2.2 accessibility audit.

Key points

A commitment by the banks, monitored by Bank Al-Maghrib and the GPBM (the Moroccan banking association): no penalties, but reporting to the regulator.
Channels covered: branches, ATMs, web portal, mobile app, electronic documents.
Standard referred to: WCAG 2.1, with an audit and then a remediation plan.
WCAG 2.2 adds six Level A and AA criteria that affect banking journeys.
A widget does not fix the code, so it cannot demonstrate conformance.

01 · The source

What the March 2023 interbank charter says

The charter was adopted on 1 March 2023 by the Moroccan banking association (GPBM), under the aegis of Bank Al-Maghrib (Bank Al-Maghrib press release, in French). It builds on framework law 97-13 on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities. In Morocco, 1.73 million people live with a disability, or 4.8% of the population (HCP, analysis of the 2024 census, March 2026, in French). Here is what the charter (PDF, in French) says about digital channels.

A commitment by the banks, monitored by Bank Al-Maghrib and the GPBM

The charter is neither a law nor a circular: banks sign up to it. A committee of Bank Al-Maghrib and the GPBM oversees it, in consultation with disability associations (Article 11). Each bank sends Bank Al-Maghrib an implementation schedule within three months of signing, then periodic progress reports (Article 12). The text sets no penalties and no final deadline: above all, a bank must be able to show where it stands, with evidence.

Channels covered

Article 4 covers branches and ATMs, the web portal and the mobile app. It also mentions electronic documents, which must work with the assistive technologies used by blind and partially sighted people (braille displays, screen readers, screen magnifiers). For deaf and hard-of-hearing customers, it mentions a hotline, chat, video calls and text content.

WCAG 2.1 audit and remediation plan

The last paragraph of Article 4 commits banks to audit their conformance against WCAG 2.1 and to put a remediation plan in place when gaps are found. The charter does not specify a level. Level AA, used by EN 301 549 in Europe and by the RGAA in France, is the usual benchmark: adopt it and state it in your schedule.

Published policy, information, training, display

Other articles also generate digital content, which must be accessible too: the policy for customers with disabilities that the bank publishes (Article 8), clear and accessible information showing which branches are equipped (Article 9), staff training (Article 10) and the charter displayed on the website and apps (Article 13).

Reading the charter for digital channels: what the audit checks

Charter article	What it means for digital	What the audit checks
Art. 4: web portal and app	Interfaces that work with screen readers, magnifiers and braille displays	WCAG Level A and AA criteria on a sample of journeys, keyboard and screen reader tests
Art. 4: electronic documents	Statements, contracts and brochures readable by assistive technologies	PDF structure, reading order and text alternatives, or an equivalent HTML version
Art. 4: deaf and hard-of-hearing customers	Chat, video calls, text content	Accessibility of the chat module, video captions, an alternative to phone calls
Art. 4: ATMs	Large-print display and keypads, audio guidance, smartphone as a relay	Software screens and the smartphone relay journey (see section 5)
Art. 8 and 9	Published policy, accessible information, equipped branches listed	Accessibility of those pages and of the branch locator
Art. 12	Schedule, then progress reports sent to Bank Al-Maghrib	Conformance rate, prioritised plan, tracking indicators
Art. 13	Charter displayed on web and apps	Presence and accessibility of the page that displays it

02 · The standard

Why aim for WCAG 2.2 rather than 2.1

A backward-compatible version

WCAG 2.2 has been a W3C Recommendation since 5 October 2023. The W3C states that content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. Only one criterion is removed: 4.1.1 Parsing, now obsolete. A WCAG 2.2 Level AA audit therefore meets the charter commitment without duplicate work.

The six new Level A and AA criteria, seen from a bank

WCAG 2.2 adds nine success criteria, six of them at Levels A and AA. The other three are Level AAA (2.4.12, 2.4.13 and 3.3.9).

Level A and AA criteria added in WCAG 2.2, with a banking example

Criterion	Level	Example in a banking journey
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)	AA	A cookie banner or sticky header must not fully hide the field that receives keyboard focus in a transfer form.
2.5.7 Dragging Movements	AA	A loan simulator slider or a "slide to confirm" control also works with a single click or tap.
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)	AA	PIN pad keys and icons in a transaction list: at least 24 × 24 CSS pixels, or equivalent spacing.
3.2.6 Consistent Help	A	Chat, phone number and FAQ stay in the same place from one screen to the next.
3.3.7 Redundant Entry	A	During KYC or when adding a payee, information already entered in the journey is not requested again.
3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum)	AA	The one-time code can be pasted, password managers work, and there is no puzzle without another method.

What converges in 2026

As of 26 September 2026:

WCAG 2.2 has become the international standard ISO/IEC 40500:2025 (W3C, 21 October 2025);
EN 301 549 v4.1.1 (September 2026) moves to WCAG 2.2 but is not yet cited in the Official Journal of the EU: v3.2.1 remains the reference (AccessibleEU, 7 September 2026);
in France, RGAA 5, which will include WCAG 2.2, is expected by the end of 2026 (DINUM, in French).

03 · Priorities

Banking journeys to audit first

A useful audit follows the journeys that matter to your customers and to your reporting.

Onboarding and KYC

Labelled fields and visible instructions (3.3.2), errors described in text (3.3.1), autocomplete on personal data (1.3.5), no unnecessary re-entry (3.3.7). Provide an alternative to video capture.

Authentication and transaction approval

One-time codes that can be pasted and password managers allowed (3.3.8), session time limits that can be extended (2.2.1), biometrics always backed by another method.

Transfers, payments and simulators

Confirmation messages announced without moving focus (4.1.3), sliders usable without dragging (2.5.7), keys large enough (2.5.8), amounts readable at 200% zoom (1.4.4).

Statements, contracts and PDFs

An untagged PDF statement tells a screen reader nothing. Two options: tagged PDFs at the source (headings, tables, reading order, text alternatives) or an equivalent HTML version.

Customer support

The chat module works with a keyboard and a screen reader. Help stays in the same place on every screen (3.2.6).

04 · Mobile

iOS and Android mobile apps

What changes on mobile

On mobile, the screen readers are VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android). An audit also checks the text size set in the phone's settings, portrait and landscape display (1.3.4) and touch target size. The W3C publishes a Group Draft Note, WCAG2Mobile (6 May 2025), on applying WCAG 2.2 to native and hybrid apps.

React Native apps

In React Native, the checks cover labels and roles, focus order, modals and announcements of state changes. VOID builds React Native apps, including MyRMA for RMA Assurance (iOS and Android, since 2025).

See also our mobile app development expertise.

05 · ATMs

ATMs: what the charter asks and what an audit can cover

What the charter lists

ATMs accessible to people with reduced mobility, large-print displays and keypads, audio guidance through headphones, and the smartphone used as a relay.

Applicable references

The W3C WCAG2ICT Group Note (11 December 2025) applies WCAG to non-web software and to self-service machines. The European standard EN 301 549 adds requirements on closed functionality (clause 5) and hardware (clause 8).

What an audit can cover

ATM software screens (contrast, text size, order and timing of steps) and the smartphone relay journey: an audit can cover them, using the WCAG2ICT note for non-web software. Hardware (height, headphone jack, tactile keypad) falls under EN 301 549.

06 · False fixes

Widgets and overlays: why they are not enough

What a regulator and disability organisations have said

An overlay is a script added to a website that promises to make it accessible. On 22 April 2025, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) required accessiBe to pay 1 million dollars over WCAG compliance claims it found false or unsupported (FTC press release). In May 2023, the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the IAAP stated that these tools do not make a website compliant with European legislation (joint statement). A script fixes neither a form, nor a PDF, nor a native app.

What we do instead

We fix code and content at the source, and respect the user's own settings: text size, increased contrast, reduced motion.

07 · Europe

Moroccan banks operating in Europe: the EAA on top of the charter

A Moroccan bank that serves consumers in the European Union, through a subsidiary, a branch or services aimed at Moroccans living abroad, needs to look at a second text. Since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) has required consumer banking services provided in the EU to be accessible: websites, apps, identification, electronic signatures, payment and information.

A well-documented WCAG 2.2 AA audit feeds the progress report sent to Bank Al-Maghrib and the web and mobile part of the European compliance file; the EN 301 549 requirements beyond WCAG are handled separately. For details, read our article on what the European Accessibility Act changes for online banking services.

08 · Method

Our four-step approach

WCAG 2.2 AA audit
On a sample of journeys: web, app, documents.
Deliverable: audit grid, conformance rate, report with fixes.
Prioritised remediation plan
Ranked by journey and severity, with effort estimates.
Deliverable: a plan you can use for the schedule and progress reports sent to Bank Al-Maghrib (Article 12).
Fixes
By the VOID team on Drupal, React/Next.js and React Native, or alongside your own teams.
Deliverable: fixed code and release notes.
Re-audit and follow-up
We check the fixes, then keep conformance on track as part of ongoing application maintenance.
Deliverable: re-audit report and indicators for your reporting.

Plans and deliverables are detailed on our RGAA and WCAG 2.2 accessibility audit page.

09 · References

Banks and financial institutions VOID works with

Since 2005, VOID has designed, built and maintained web and mobile platforms. Two thirds of our published projects (16 out of 24) are in banking, insurance and financial markets. Institutions we have worked with (websites, apps, maintenance) include Attijariwafa bank, Wafasalaf, Crédit Agricole du Maroc, Al Barid Bank, CBAO (Attijariwafa bank group), CMI, the Casablanca Stock Exchange, Wafa Gestion, Wafabourse and CDG Capital.

These references cover design, development and maintenance, not accessibility audits.

See all our projects.

10 · FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does the Bank Al-Maghrib charter make digital accessibility mandatory?

No: it is a commitment made by the banks under the aegis of Bank Al-Maghrib, with no penalties. Banks do, however, send Bank Al-Maghrib an implementation schedule and then periodic progress reports. Separately, framework law 97-13 on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities treats depriving a person with a disability of a service offered to the public as discrimination.

Which WCAG version does the charter refer to, and why audit against WCAG 2.2?

The charter refers to WCAG 2.1 without a level. According to the W3C, content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.1. A WCAG 2.2 AA audit therefore covers the commitment and adds six criteria that matter in banking journeys.

Which channels does the charter cover: website, app, ATMs, documents?

All four. Article 4 covers branches and ATMs, the web portal, the mobile app and electronic documents, as well as a hotline, chat and video calls for deaf and hard-of-hearing customers.

What must be sent to Bank Al-Maghrib, and when?

Article 12 requires an implementation schedule within three months of signing, then periodic progress reports. The charter sets no format: a conformance rate per journey and a prioritised plan make those reports verifiable.

Is an accessibility widget enough to meet the charter?

No. The charter asks for a WCAG audit and a remediation plan. A script added to a website does not fix the code, the documents or the mobile app.

Our bank has a subsidiary in Europe. Does the European Accessibility Act apply?

For banking services provided to consumers in the European Union, yes, since 28 June 2025. Services provided from Morocco to EU residents need a case-by-case legal analysis.

Read: what the European Accessibility Act changes for online banking services

How long does it take to audit a banking app?

It depends on the number of screens, journeys and platforms in scope (iOS, Android, web).

Official sources cited

Request a WCAG 2.2 audit of your banking journeys

Tell us which platforms are in scope (portal, app, documents, ATMs) and when your next progress report is due. We reply within 24 business hours.

Your contact: Mehdi Najeddine, VOID. Phone: +212 667 042 085. Email: casa@void.ma. Mehdi Najeddine's LinkedIn profile.

Request an audit See the audit offer