NatWest Partners with Be My Eyes to Launch Pilot Project Aiming to Make Banking More Accessible for Blind and Low Vision customers 

• NatWest is the first UK bank to partner with Be My Eyes using Service Directory and Service Connect, the world’s largest support platform for blind and low vision people.
• The upcoming pilot will see a selected group of blind and low vision customers access real-time, secure visual support from trained NatWest colleagues via video calls.
• Led by NatWest’s Open Innovation team, the free pilot supports the Bank’s ambition to provide an accessible experience for all customers.

Friday 21^st August 2026 – NatWest has announced it will work with global accessibility platform Be My Eyes to use live visual assistance to help blind or low vision customers manage everyday banking tasks more easily and independently.

Through a pilot with the Be My Eyes app, a selected group of customers will be able to make secure video calls supported by NatWest.

The pilot will see a select group of customers take part in the app by accessing a Service Directory and selecting NatWest. Within seconds and via a single tap, users will be placed on a video call with a trained NatWest colleague.

At this point, the customer’s phone camera or smart glasses become the colleague’s eyes, allowing them to guide the customer through the relevant journey in real time.

This enables colleagues to provide clear, verbal guidance to help customers complete tasks with greater confidence and independence. The pilot could assist a number of day-to-day banking activities including reading a letter or activating a new card. 

The service is free and simple to use, with no appointments required. 

As part of the pilot, NatWest’s Open Innovation team will work in partnership with Be My Eyes to identify further opportunities where live visual support could improve the banking experience for blind or low vision customers. 

Insights from the pilot will help inform the next phase of the programme, including opportunities to make the pilot available to more customers later in 2026.

Register your interest in the Pilot
If you are a NatWest customer and would like to register your interest in participating in the pilot, you can learn more by emailing [email protected].

ENDS 

Notes to editors

Innovation at NatWest Group

The Open Innovation team at NatWest Group have a vision to lead the future of banking by aligning the external technology ecosystem with the bank’s strategy, to inspire new products and services for our customers, colleagues and communities.

NatWest Group has stringent security measures in place to protect its customers. Customers will never be asked to share PINs, passwords or security details as part of this support.

About Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes started with a simple idea: to make the world more accessible for blind and low-vision people through the power of connection.

The idea came from Hans Jørgen Wiberg, a low vision Danish craftsman. While working with The Danish Association of the Blind, Hans noticed how often people needed a little visual assistance for everyday tasks. A friend shared how video calls with family helped him get that assistance, and Hans saw an opportunity: what if blind and low-vision people could connect with a global network of volunteers, ready to lend their sight?  
   
In 2015, the Be My Eyes app was launched and, within 24 hours, 10,000 volunteers had signed up. Today, millions of volunteers support users in over 180 languages – proving that a little help goes a long way.   

Enterprise partners include Microsoft, Google, Procter & Gamble, Hilton, and Tesco. Be My Eyes was named among Time’s Best Inventions of 2023 and has won an Apple Design Award.

For more information, visit bemyeyes.com