PayU has launched Accessible Payments Checkout, a payment checkout designed for people who are blind or visually impaired. PayU says it is India’s first RBI-compliant payment checkout and the first payment gateway in India to comply with the Reserve Bank of India’s accessibility requirements.
The checkout includes features aimed at improving discoverability, navigation and interaction for users with visual and cognitive accessibility needs.
PayU Accessible Payments Checkout features
The checkout includes four key features:
- Full-screen-reader optimisation: The checkout is designed to work with screen readers throughout the payment journey, allowing blind and visually impaired users to navigate without sighted assistance. Users can select payment methods such as net banking, UPI, QR and NEFT, confirm the payment amount and complete the transaction. Each element on the checkout page is announced through voice commands to indicate the user’s position in the payment journey.
- Adaptive user profiles: Users can customise the checkout by adjusting the cursor size, button dimensions and navigation aids. Preferences can be saved, switched between or reset at any point.
- Visual inclusivity modes: The checkout offers high-contrast, greyscale, colour inversion and saturation adjustment options for users with low vision, colour blindness or light sensitivity. These modes support users who rely on colour and contrast adjustments when using digital platforms.
- Text resizing: The checkout supports text scaling of up to 200% of the standard size without overlapping or hiding content, allowing users with visual impairments to view and read the checkout elements.
RBI accessibility mandate
The Reserve Bank of India’s October 2024 circular requires digital payment providers to ensure their digital products and services, including websites, mobile applications and software, comply with the Bureau of Indian Standards’ BIS IS 17802 accessibility standards for persons with disabilities.
Availability
PayU’s Accessible Payments Checkout does not require merchants to change their existing integrations. Merchants using PayU can automatically offer the accessibility-focused checkout to customers with disabilities.
Speaking about the launch, Manas Mishra, Chief Product Officer, PayU and Wibmo, said:
True financial inclusion is only possible when every individual can access and use digital payments independently. At PayU, accessibility is not an afterthought – it’s a core design principle. With the launch of our Accessibility Checkout, we’re helping merchants deliver payment experiences that are inclusive by design while enabling millions of users with diverse accessibility needs to participate more confidently in India’s digital economy. This is an important step towards supporting the RBI’s accessibility vision and building digital infrastructure that works for everyone.