Privacy Policy: Abela

By using our services, you are consenting to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy as set out below. If you do not agree with the policy, please refrain from providing any personal information to us. Additionally, if you choose to withdraw your consent at anytime, please contact us and we will remove your personal information from our data base once reasonable notice has been provided to us and all legal requirements have been complied with.

The personal information we refer to includes the information provided to us by yourselves and also includes information available on public platforms and provided to us by third parties such as credit reporting and government agencies, financial institutions, financial service providers, agents and appointed representatives.

1. Categories of your personal information include the following:

1.1. Identification information such as your name, surname, identification number, address and contact information;

1.2. Account details such as your bank name, bank card number, bank account details, your credit history and your credit score;

1.3. Telephone recordings – any information you disclose over the phone to one of our consultants. Any call made to our customer service lime may be recorded for quality purposes;

1.4. Your credit score and credit history;

1.5. Information that you have provided to us by disclosing it on our platform; information that is publicly available; and information that you have previously provided to any of our service providers or partners and is accessible to us.

2. We collect and store your personal information for the following purposes:

2.1. Verify your identity;

2.2. Administer your account;

2.3. To contact you;

2.4. Facilitate the KYC process;

2.5. Conduct a credit check and look up your credit history;

2.6. Provide you with our services;

2.7. Inform you on any changes or updates we may have on our platform;

2.8. Communicate with you as part of our business;

2.9. Detect, prevent and investigate any criminal activity including fraud and money laundering;

2.10. Comply with internal policies and procedures;

2.11. Meet our responsibilities to you;

2.12. Follow your instructions;

2.13. Process your personal information for ordinary business purposes, including opening and maintaining your account, giving effect to transactions, administering claims where applicable, managing our risks and maintaining our overall relationship with you);

2.14. Carry out statistical and other analyses to identify potential markets and trends, evaluate and improve our business;

2.15. Introduce you to services and products that are new and available;

2.16. Comply with applicable regulations;

2.17. Provide you with any transaction details you request;

2.18. Fraud and anti-money laundering purposes;

2.19. ensure all payments are made to the correct persons from virtual wallets

2.20. Assist with any service enquiries.

3. We will only process your personal information that is specifically required for us to render our services to you. We confirm that the information we require of you is adequate, relevant and not excessive in accordance with section 10 of POPIA.

4. We will only use your personal information for purposes disclosed to you. We are obliged to keep your information confidential unless when authorized by you or required / permitted by law.

5. The personal information that we have will only be retained for as long as reasonably necessary. When required by law and/or when we are no longer authorised to retain any personal record, we will delete and remove and/ or destroy any and all of your information from our systems.

6. As mentioned, the information will not be retained for longer than is necessary for achieving the purpose for which the information was collected or processed, unless:

• retention of the record is required or authorised by law;
• we reasonably require the record for lawful purposes related to our function or activities;
• retention of the record is required by a contract between parties;
• the data subject or a competent person where the data subject is a child has consented to the retention of the record.

7. Our website:

7.1. We may collect other information that is not specifically related to your identity. This information includes browser information, information collected through cookies, navigational information as well as any information you voluntarily provide to us when you are active on the website.

7.2. Browser information includes your IP address, operating system version, the page visited and the time you visited it. Most websites, including ours, collect this information for administration purposes.

7.3. Website usage information may be collected using “cookies” which allows us to collect standard internet visitor usage information. A cookie is a small text file that is downloaded onto your internet browser each time you visit our website. Abela uses cookies to understand your browsing preference which allows us to provide improved services. You can disable cookies on the website however, this may impact the functionality of the website.

7.4. Please note that we may use and disclose this non-identity information for any purpose, except where we are required to do otherwise under applicable law.

7.5. If our website offers links to third party websites, those websites may collect your personal information, including information collected through cookies. Abela is not responsible for how and what the third-party websites do with your personal information.

8. Our employees / contractors / partners:

8.1. The authorized employees and contractors of Abela may have access to your personal information. They are only permitted to access of information that is required for them to carry out their duties. They are under an obligation to protect your personal information and abide by the privacy policy that has been established by Abela as well as the POPI Act.

8.2. We may disclose your personal information to third parties such as our service providers, appointed representatives, agents, and partners. This is done in order for them to provide their services. We will impose the same privacy and security obligations on said third parties and partners to ensure your information is secure at all times.

8.3. Furthermore, we may be obliged by law to disclose your information and we will comply with any statutory or regulatory requirements in this regard.

9. Security Measures:

9.1. Abela assures all it’s customers that property safety and security measures have been put in place to protect your personal information from unauthorized access. These security measures are put in place in terms of section 19 of POPIA.

9.2. We understand that data transmission cannot be 100% secure despite all the protective and security measures we have in place. If you have reason to believe that the security of your personal information has been compromised, please contact us immediately.

9.3. We also ensure you that we will continually review our security measures and update them as and when necessary to make sure your personal information remains secure.

9.4. We however do not accept liability for malicious hacking of our database despite all the measures we have taken to protect our database and personal information on it. We will notify you of any and all breaches as soon as reasonably possible after we have discovered such breach/ compromise. The notification to you will be made in writing and it will contain sufficient information for you to take protective measures against the potential consequences of the compromise.

10. Access to your personal information:

You are able to access and verify and/or amend our personal information at any time. You can contact Abela’s compliance offer at any time at hello@abela.app for any privacy related matters. You will be asked to verify your identity by answering further questions. All queries and requests will be dealt with within 30 days of receipt.

After providing us with adequate proof of your identity, you have the right to request:

• Whether we hold any of your personal information;
• A record or description of the personal information we hold about you including information about third parties who have also had access to your personal information. This will be provided to you within a reasonable time and at a prescribed fee as contemplated in Section 23 of POPIA;
• Correct or delete any of your personal information. We will do so as soon as reasonably practicable.

11. Direct marketing:

We may use your personal information for the purpose of direct marketing if you are a customer of ours. However, you may unsubscribe from any direct marketing communications we may send you at any time.

12. Right to change our privacy policy:

We retain the right to amend our privacy policy at any time. The latest version will always be uploaded on or website with the date of when the privacy policy came into effect. The latest version will supersede any previous versions unless stated otherwise.