RBS and NatWest have joined forces with RNIB to creat a bank card specially for people with sight problems

RBS and NatWest have launched the first debit and savings cards for partially sighted and blind customers.

They have raised markings to identify the card, a notch to show what direction to insert it into an ATM and large print phone number on the reverse.

The new cards are the first banking product to be accredited by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and are the first cards to be designed specifically for blind and partially sighted customers.

Steve Tyler, head of solutions at RNIB, said: “The very basic requirement of identifying the right card and quickly determining which way the card slots into a machine or payment system has been solved by this development.

“Simple as it is, creating a card with tactile indicators that identify the card type as well as the way in which it should be used is an engineering challenge, particularly to ensure that it doesn't disrupt machinery.

“We look forward to working with RBS in to the future and enhancing even more of the daily payment challenges that blind and partially sighted customers experience.”

RNIB estimate that almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss.