Sberbank Rossii : launches testing of its branches and services to adapt them for disabled clients

December 2, 2016, Moscow - In the run-up to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities Sberbank has started testing its branches and services to see if they are suitable for disabled customers with the help of special GERT suits that imitate various forms of physical limitations.

CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank Herman Gref participated in the launch of the project, being the first to test one of the bank's services wearing one of the special suits.

The results of the test, suggestions and feedback of employees will be taken into account in the 'Special Bank' project aimed at the adaptation of processes and service channels for such clients.

'We have come to several conclusions, including about improving our product line. This is an important project for Sberbank, which makes the infrastructure of branches accessible and changes the culture of employees' attitude toward clients regardless of their physical limitations and physical particularities,' said Herman Gref.

Sberbank's 'Special Bank' project is an ecosystem of products and services built with special attention to people with physical particularities and disabilities. The adaptation of products and services is taking place with the direct participation of the disabled.

The pilot project was launched in Moscow, on December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and will be launched in Saint Petersburg next. In 2017 Regional Banks will be tested for adaptation.

GERT suits (GERontologic Test suit) are technological simulators of various forms of disabilities (vision, hearing, locomotor system) and illnesses. Sberbank is the first in Russia to use these suits to test adaptation of its services. There are no Russian versions of these suits.

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Sberbank
Alexander Baziyan
Press Office
Tel. +7 (495) 957 5721
media@sberbank.ru

Sberbank is Russia's largest bank and a leading global financial institution. Sberbank holds almost one third of aggregate Russian banking sector assets, it is the key lender to the national economy and the biggest deposit taker in Russia. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation is the founder and principal shareholder of Sberbank owning 50% of the Bank's authorized capital plus one voting share, with the remaining 50% held by domestic and international investors. Sberbank has more than 135 million individual customers and more than 4 million corporate clients in 20 countries. Sberbank has the largest distribution network in Russia with almost 17,000 branches, and its international operations include UK, US, CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, India, China, Turkey and other countries.

The Bank holds the general banking license No.1481 issued by the Bank of Russia. Official websites of the Bank: www.sberbank.com(Sberbank Group website), www.sberbank.ru.