Is convenient finance and everyday life possible for everyone?

Innovation doesn’t end the moment something new is invented. True change begins when innovations spread further, reaching everyone without discrimination. It means reaching places that progress has yet to touch, and steadily building small changes. Toss is bringing innovation into more people’s everyday lives, moving closer to true innovation.

Tearing Down Invisible Walls with Technology

A tiny button on a screen can feel like a big barrier for some. The same screen can be experienced very differently depending on age, language, or physical ability. That’s why, whenever we design a service Toss asks, “Can everyone use this feature equally?” We’re not perfect, but by steadily making small improvements, we’re making our services more accessible, step by step.

That’s how we created our accessibility diagnosis tool, “Ally (A11y).” The name comes from the industry abbreviation for accessibility, “a11y.” People with visual impairments often rely on a technology called a screen reader when using smartphones. It reads aloud the text, buttons, and images on a screen. For it to work smoothly, certain elements need to be built in during development. For example, images should include alternative text that describes what they show, and buttons or icons need labels that explain their function. Without these elements, the screen reader has nothing to read, leaving users with what feels like a blank screen.

A11y is a tool designed to solve these problems. With just a click, it checks whether any essential elements for screen reader users are missing. In the past, accessibility specialists had to manually detect errors and provide feedback. Now, developers themselves can spot and fix issues before launching a service. Since adopting A11y, developers have been able to detect and resolve around 100 accessibility errors per hour.

Accessibility is also essential to making financial services both safe and convenient. At Toss, whenever an unusual activity is detected during a transfer or payment, certain features are temporarily blocked for security. To restore access, users must go through face verification. For most people, this takes only a few seconds. But for users with visual impairments, the process was far from easy. Without clear guidance, it was difficult for these users to keep their gaze fixed on the camera, often requiring another person to assist with directions like, “Turn your head a little more to the left.” When users cannot easily unblock features that were only temporarily restricted, convenience is lost. To address this, Toss developed a dedicated face verification flow for users with visual impairments, so anyone can complete the process independently.

Previously, users without disabilities were guided through the process by a visual progress bar showing when to turn their head or stare at the camera. But for those unable to see the screen, this information was inaccessible. Toss solved this by adding sound cues at each stage: one for “in progress” and another for “complete.” What was once only visual feedback now became audible.

If face verification failed after 30 seconds, users without disabilities saw a “Take photo again” button appear on the screen. But for visually impaired users, trying to locate the button often caused their posture to shift, resulting in repeated failures. To fix this, Toss removed the “Take photo again” button. Instead, when an error occurs, the app immediately provides an audio message, such as, “Your face moved out of the frame,” and automatically restarts the verification process. With direct audio feedback guiding them, users found it much easier to stay in position, making the entire verification experience smoother and more reliable.

Helping Children and Teens Take Charge of Their Finances

For a long time, children’s financial lives were handled almost entirely by their parents. Many kids may have learned to save or spend an allowance, but opportunities to manage money directly or develop real financial habits were rare. Then, upon becoming adults, they’re suddenly faced with the reality where nearly every part of daily life is tied to money, often learning through trial and error.

Toss believed that if children and teens could start this journey earlier, economic independence wouldn’t feel daunting or overwhelming, but instead become a natural part of growing up. That belief led to the creation of Toss Teens.

Toss Teens, available for users aged 7 to 18, is designed to remove the everyday inconveniences teenagers face in money transfers, payments, transportation, and shopping, while helping them build independence in their financial lives. Parents, meanwhile, welcome the service as it gives their children a natural way to develop financial awareness.

One of the standout successes behind Toss Teens is the USS Card, a youth card that quickly became known as the first “my card” for teens. Unlike the “mom’s card” they had to borrow before, this card is issued in their own name. Since its launch in December 2021, it has surpassed 3.2 million issuances.^* In Korea, it isn’t easy for minors to hold a card in their own name. Until the age of 17 when they receive their Resident Registration Card, they cannot open a bank account online or issue a debit card independently. For those between 12 and 16, parents must step in for identity verification, and children under 12 are not eligible at all to issue a debit card. *Based on May 2025, Toss internal data

It was from this gap that Toss introduced the USS  Card. A prepaid card available for anyone aged 7 to 18, it carries symbolic weight as “the first card in your own name.” Children aged 7 to 13 need their guardian’s consent, but once they turn 14, they can apply on their own. The card can be topped up via bank transfer or with cash at convenience stores, and it also works as a transportation card. While certain categories like recurring payments, overseas transactions, and restricted industries are blocked for safety, teens can freely use it for most of their everyday spending.

The Toss Youth Card is available in five colors: Dust Black, Dust  White, Snow, Sky, and Pink. The Sky and Pink colors were added in response to user requests.

The design of the card also sets it apart. Cards for children are often imagined as “cute” or “playful,” but Toss chose a completely different direction. Instead, it introduced a sleek one that feels just as stylish as an adult’s card. In doing so, it tapped directly into teenagers’ desires to “grow up faster” and to “own a real card with my name on it.”

Alongside the card, another highlight is “Youth Home,” a dedicated home screen just for young users. When children under 14 open the Toss app, they see a completely different interface from adults, stripped down to only the essential functions they need to begin managing their own financial lives. One standout feature is the “Money Study Café,” which offers lessons in financial topics rarely taught at school or at home. From practical tips like how to manage pocket money, to understanding how insurance works, or grasping the basics of loans and interest, it covers the building blocks of financial literacy.

It also tackles real questions kids ask, such as, “Why do adults get upset when we buy expensive things?” or “Why are there so few ways for teens to earn money?” Financial education experts step in to answer these questions directly. Another popular feature is “Mock Investments,” where children and teens can trade domestic and overseas stocks in real time using virtual money. More than 760,000 young users^* enjoy it almost like a game, while naturally learning that investing isn’t just about making money, it requires diligent study and thoughtful judgments. *Based on May 2025, Toss internal data

Going Beyond Borders and Languages

There are about 2.7 million foreigners^* living in Korea. Each has their own reasons for making a home here and their own way of life, but they share one common barrier: access to financial services. *Based on year-end 2024 data, Ministry of Justice

The barriers begin at the very first step: signing up. Most Korean names are only three to four syllables long, so registration fields were built to fit that format. But for people from regions like the Middle East or Spanish speaking countries, names are often much longer or structured differently. As a result, their full names frequently don’t fit, preventing them from completing identity verification. Even when they manage to get through, errors are common because the name on official documents doesn’t match the name entered in the system. The root of the problem lies in services designed with Korean users in mind, then simply translated into English.

To address these challenges, Toss formed a dedicated team for foreign users. Guided by the principle that “foreigners should be able to use our services just as seamlessly as Koreans,” Toss went beyond simply translating existing services into another language. Instead, the system was rebuilt so that identity verification would work smoothly regardless of a person’s nationality, language, or name structure. As a result, Toss created a verification environment where anyone can sign up without barriers. Within just one year, the number of foreign users grew by 30%, surpassing 460,000^*. *Based on Toss internal data, H1 2025

After a five-month beta test beginning in January 2025, Toss officially rolled out the English version of its app. Foreign residents can now access more than 100 services in English, including money transfers, asset management, medical expense reimbursements, pedometer, and more. Toss continues to expand English support and is preparing additional languages to better serve non-English speakers as well. Step by step, the company is breaking down language barriers so that every foreign resident in Korea, regardless of nationality or language, can enjoy the same seamless services as everyone else.

References

“Why Is the Reading Order So Important for the Visually Impaired? | Accessibility Journal #1”, Toss Tech

“How to Translate Visual Information into Sound – Improving Face Authentication for the Visually Impaired | Accessibility Journal #2”, Toss Tech

Advisors

Yura Kim, Toss Product Designer

Marlu Chandra, Toss Product Owner

Serim Baek, Toss Operations Manager

Yujin Cho, Toss Product Owner

Writer Jiyoung Lee