Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Branch International and its associated entities

Branch International, together with its associated entity duly incorporated in your country, (Branch or WE) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

Scope of policy

This privacy policy (Policy) together with our Terms of Use and Loan Account Agreement as set out at http://branch.co/tou and any additional terms of use applies to your use of:

1. Branch mobile application software (App) available on our site OR hosted on the Google Play Store (App Site), once you have downloaded or streamed a copy of the App onto your mobile telephone or handheld device (Device).

2. Any of the services accessible through the App (Services) or those available on the App Site or other sites of ours or other third-party Sites (Service Sites).

This policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.

Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. By downloading the App, you confirm that you have read, understood and accept the terms of this Policy set out hereunder. You also consent to the collection, use, storage, processing and disclosure of your personal information in the manner set out in this Policy.

A. Information we may collect from you

We may collect and process the following data about you.

i. Information you give us about you (Submitted information):

This may include information:

  • provided by filling in forms in the App or on the App Site (together Our Sites);
  • provided by corresponding with us (for example, by e-mail or chat);
  • provided by registering to use the App Site, downloading or registering the App, subscribing to any of our Services (such as applying for a loan), searching for an app or Service, sharing data via the App's social media functions, entering a competition, promotion or survey, and reporting a problem with the App, our Services, our App Site or any of Our Service Sites.

This information may include your name, address, e-mail address and phone number, the Device's phone number, SIM card details, age, username, password and other registration information, financial and credit information (including your mobile money account details, bank account details, and bank verification number, where applicable), personal description and photograph.

ii. Information we collect about you and your device.

When you send email or other communications to us, we may retain those communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our services.

Each time you visit one of our Sites or use one of our Apps we may automatically collect the following information:

  • technical information, including the type of mobile device you use, information about the SIM card used by the Device, mobile network information, your Device's operating system, the type of browser you use, or your Device's approximate location and time zone setting (Device Information);
  • information stored on your Device, including contacts list, SMS logs and a fixed number of installed apps; and
  • details of your use of any of our Apps or your visits to any of Our Service Sites; including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data, weblogs and other communication data (Log Information).

iii. Location information.

We may also use GPS technology OR other location services to determine your Device's approximate location. You can withdraw your consent to our collection, processing or use of this information at any time by logging out and uninstalling the App from your Device.

iv. Information we receive from other sources (Third Party Information).

Due to the nature of the Services which we provide, we are required to work with a number of third parties (including credit reference agencies and mobile network providers) and we may receive information about you from them.

v. Unique application numbers.

When you install or uninstall a Service containing a unique application number or when such a Service searches for automatic updates, that number and information about your installation, for example, the type of operating system, may be sent to us.

vi. Third-Party Social Media data.

Should you decide to register through or otherwise grant us access to a Third-Party Social Media Service, such as Facebook or Whatsapp, We may collect Personal data that is already associated with your Third-Party Social Media Service's account, such as your name, your email address, your activities or your contact list associated with that account.

You may also have the option of sharing additional information with the Company through your Third-Party Social Media Service's account. If you choose to provide such information and Personal Data, during registration or otherwise, you are giving the Company permission to use, share, and store it in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.

B. Tracking and cookies

We may use mobile tracking technologies and/or website cookies to distinguish you from other users of the App, App Site, or Service Sites. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you use the App or browse any of the Service Sites and also allows us to improve the App and Our Service Sites.

C. Uses Made of the Information We Collect

  1. The Information we collect from you or from Third Party Partners are used and processed for (a) Contractual Purposes (b) Legal Obligations (c) Legitimate Interests.
    1. Contractual Purposes
      1. providing any of the Services to you including and not limited to determining whether or not to provide a service to you, the applicable terms of such service and the terms and conditions applicable to such service. We are unable to make this determination unless we collect and process data in accordance with our terms and conditions; or
      2. communicating with you regarding requests about our Services or Services provided to you.
    2. Legal Obligations
      1. identification, validation and verification of your identity;
      2. processing of payment and settlement instructions;
      3. managing investment of funds on your behalf;
      4. collection of loans and any amount outstanding from you;
      5. compliance with any risk, regulatory duty or lawful obligation including responding to regulators or supervisors, carrying out anti money laundering investigations, record keeping obligations, etc;
      6. carrying out risk analysis and assessments of our Services, Service Sites and market;
      7. compliance with codes of conducts or best practices; or
      8. troubleshooting issues with our Services and Service Sites;
    3. Legitimate Interest
      1. fraud detection and prevention of other illegal use of our Services and Service Sites;
      2. improving our Services to you and your experience with us;
      3. offering rewards and other incentives to our customers;
      4. collaborating with Third Parties to provide a Service or to improve our services to you;
      5. educate you about Services or any other information that might be useful to you as our customer;
      6. improving our business, processes, policies etc;
      7. improve our data quality;
      8. carry out research, experiments and tests; or
      9. marketing, advertising and sensitisation of our Services.
  2.  
  3. When you use our services on the mobile App, we also collect the following information from your smartphone;
    1. Location: An approximate location is used to check your serviceability and to prevent fraud.
    2. Contacts: Our system reviews your contacts for fraud prevention. We will never call or message your contacts.
    3. SMS: Our system reviews your SMS to understand your financial history and personalise your loan offers.
    4. Installed apps: Our system checks for the presence of a fixed number of apps installed on your device to personalise your loan offers.

    We access this information through your mobile device operating system when you give consent to your device’s permissions on our App.

    We may associate any category of information with any other category of information and will treat the combined information as personal data in accordance with this Policy for as long as it is combined.

Save in compliance with an order of the Court, Arbitral Panel, Tribunal, Regulatory Directive or Order or any other legal or regulatory obligation, we do not disclose information about identifiable individuals to other parties, but we may provide them with anonymous aggregate information about our users (for example, we may inform them that 500 men aged under 30 have applied for a loan on any given day).

D. Disclosure of your information

We may disclose some or all of the data we collect from you when you download or use the App to credit reference bureaus.

We may disclose your personal information to any member of our group, which means our subsidiaries, affiliates, our holding company and its subsidiaries.

We may disclose your personal information to third parties:

  • in the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets;
  • if Branch International or substantially all of its assets are acquired by a third party, in which case personal data held by it about its customers will be one of the transferred assets;
  • if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal or regulatory obligation or request; and/or
  • in order to: enforce our Terms and Conditions and other agreements or to investigate potential breaches; report defaulters to any credit bureau; or for the purpose of publishing statistics relating to the use of the App, in which case all information will be aggregated and made anonymous.

E. Where We store your personal data

The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside your country of origin or residence (as applicable). It may also be processed by staff operating outside your country of origin or residence (as applicable), who work for us or for one of our suppliers. These staff members may be engaged in the fulfillment of your requests on the Service Sites. By submitting your personal data, you agree to the collection, transfer, storing or processing of your personal data in the manner set out above. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated, stored and processed securely and in accordance with this privacy Policy.

Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password that enables you to access certain parts of Our Service Sites, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to Our Service Sites; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

F. Google API Disclosure

Branch's use of information received from Google APIs will adhere to Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

G. Your rights

We will use your data for the purposes of compiling statistics relating to our user base or loan portfolio and may disclose such information to any third party for such purposes, provided that such information will always be anonymous.

Should we wish to use your information for marketing purposes, we will inform you prior to such use. You shall be entitled to prevent such usage by informing us, within 10 days of being informed of the proposed use, that you do not wish to disclose such information. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us at dpo@branch.co

Should you wish to delete your personal data that Branch acquired, you may do so by contacting us at dpo@branch.co.

H. Changes to privacy policy

Any changes we may make to this Policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you when you next start the App or log onto one of the Service Sites. The new terms may be displayed on-screen and you may be required to read and accept them to continue your use of the App or the Services. In any event, by continuing to use the App or any Services after the posting of any changes, you confirm your continuing acceptance of this Policy together with such changes, and your consent to the terms set out therein.

Questions, comments and requests regarding this privacy policy are welcomed and should be addressed to dpo@branch.co.