Bank Rakyat is Malaysia’s first Islamic Bank to introduce Mastercard’s Touch Card, which features distinctive tactile notches to help blind and partially sighted cardholders to identify their payment cards.
As more payment cards move to flat designs without embossed names and numbers, identifying cards can become a challenge for individuals with visual impairments. The Touch Card incorporates a distinctive notch at the short edge, making it easier to identify the card and correctly orient them when making payments or performing cash withdrawals at ATMs.
Mastercard Touch Card features the following standarised notch designs:
- Debit Card – Rounded
- Credit Card – Squared
- Prepaid Card – Triangular
Since April 2025, Bank Rakyat has incorporated the Touch Card feature for Bank Rakyat Muslimah Credit Card-i which features a square notch, and Bank Rakyat Debit Card-i which has a rounded notch.
To better understand the real-world challenges faced by the community, Bank Rakyat also engaged with Persatuan Orang-Orang Cacat Penglihatan Islam Malaysia (PERTIS) before implementing the feature. As part of this inclusive rollout, the first 30 PERTIS members to receive the Touch Card also received an RM200 incentive credited to their new debit cards.
Bank Rakyat CEO Ahmad Shahril Mohd Shariff said, “Financial services should be inclusive and accessible to everyone. The introduction of the Touch Card™ reflects Bank Rakyat’s commitment to enhancing banking experiences for all Malaysians, including those with visual impairments. Through our collaboration with PERTIS and Mastercard, we have integrated the Touch Card™ feature into selected card offerings to meet the specific needs of the visually impaired community, going beyond compliance to deliver solutions that genuinely improve everyday banking.”
Meanwhile, Mastercard Country Manager for Malaysia and Brunei, Beena Pothen, said “At its core, Mastercard is committed to fostering a more inclusive economy that works for people from all walks of life. The integration of Mastercard’s Touch Card™ design with Bank Rakyat, the first Islamic bank in Malaysia to adopt this feature, reflects Mastercard’s dedication to working with like-minded partners globally to enhance accessibility and inclusivity. Today, Mastercard is excited to put this simple but very meaningful design solution at the fingertips of Malaysians.”
Mastercard’s Touch Card was originally co-designed with IDEMIA and has been endorsed by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK and VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the US.
According to Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), there are almost 64,000 people in Malaysia who are visually impaired.
