• Turkey’s largest fintech Papara partners with BlindLook, the organisation developing freedom technologies for the blind, to make all financial services audio-enabled and fully accessible for the visually impaired 
• The co-operation enables the blind to independently manage their finances, making it a key milestone in driving Papara’s mission of financial inclusion and freedom for all
• Papara’s partnership with BlindLook positively impacts the lives of 5m people, to include the families and close friends of the visually impaired users

Papara, the market-leading Turkish fintech with over 11m users, has partnered with BlindLook, the social enterprise developing freedom technologies to create independence for the world’s 285 million blind, to make Papara’s products and services fully accessible for the visually impaired.

Papara provides instant, free, multi-currency transfers and financial services for its users. Through BlindLook’s voice-oriented technology, visually impaired users will be able to use the Papara app and website without any external assistance, allowing them to manage their finances safely and independently for the first time.

Papara has rapidly grown since inception five years ago – the business has achieved a 82% year-on-year increase in registered users. Coinciding with its fifth anniversary, Papara hit the 11 million users milestone in August, all with no external investment to date. This growth is set to continue as Papara expands into Europe next year.

Ahmed F. Karslı, founder and CEO of Papara, comments on the partnership:

“Making our services fully accessible for the blind is a huge milestone for us, and one we’re immensely proud of. Those with visual impairments have traditionally struggled to perform basic financial services like opening a bank account or transferring money, independently.

“At Papara, breaking down these barriers to financial inclusion is at the very core of what we do. By embedding BlindLook’s audio technology into our digital platform we have come one step closer to achieving our ultimate mission of providing financial freedom and equality for all, regardless of age, gender, economic background or disability.”

Sadriye Görece, BlindLook co-founder, added:

“As the largest and most popular fintech in Turkey with over 11 million users, Papara’s adoption of our audio technology marks a significant commitment to improving the lives of the blind in Turkey.

“In fact, Papara’s initiative has positively impacted the lives of five million people, to include the families and friends of the visually impaired who now no longer need support in managing their finances. We would like to thank Papara very much for being a partner in realising our dream of an equal and barrier-free world for all.”

Through this partnership with BlindLook, Papara has become a certified blind-friendly brand (EyeBrand), alongside tech giants like Google and Amazon Turkey. Blindlook also presented EyeBrand symbol to Papara which makes its website and mobile application blind friendly with BlindLook’s Audio Simulation technology.

As Papara continues to scale and expand internationally next year, it is set to continue adding to its user base and further its mission of driving financial freedom for all.