Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

FinanceCare UK ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://financecare.uk/ and utilize our financial consulting courses and certification programs.

We are registered in the United Kingdom with Registration Number 20735526 and operate in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By accessing our website and using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Register for our financial consulting courses
• Complete enrollment applications
• Contact us through our contact form or email
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Create an account on our learning platform
• Participate in surveys or provide feedback

This information may include:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Postal address
• Date of birth
• Educational background and qualifications
• Professional experience
• Payment information (processed securely through third-party payment processors)
• Course preferences and interests
• Employment information

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing behavior, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring website addresses
• Pages viewed and time spent on pages
• Links clicked
• Device identifiers
• Geographic location (country/city level)

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and gather information about visitors and visits to our website. Cookies are small data files stored on your device. We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for website functionality and cannot be disabled
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website
• Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and track campaign effectiveness
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences

You can control cookie preferences through our cookie banner and your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may limit website functionality.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

3.1 Educational Services

• Processing course enrollments and managing student accounts
• Delivering course materials and educational content
• Tracking course progress and issuing certifications
• Providing student support and answering inquiries
• Facilitating communication between instructors and students

3.2 Communication

• Sending course updates, announcements, and important notices
• Responding to your questions, comments, and requests
• Delivering newsletters and promotional materials (with your consent)
• Notifying you about new courses, programs, and special offers
• Conducting surveys and gathering feedback

3.3 Business Operations

• Processing payments and maintaining financial records
• Preventing fraud and ensuring security
• Complying with legal obligations and regulatory requirements
• Enforcing our terms and conditions
• Resolving disputes and addressing complaints

3.4 Website Improvement and Analytics

• Analyzing website traffic and user behavior
• Improving website design, content, and functionality
• Testing new features and services
• Understanding course effectiveness and student outcomes
• Conducting research and statistical analysis

3.5 Marketing and Advertising

• Delivering targeted advertisements through Google Tag Manager and Facebook Pixel
• Measuring marketing campaign effectiveness
• Personalizing your experience based on interests and behavior
• Building lookalike audiences for advertising purposes

4. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contract Performance: Processing necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations when you enroll in courses
• Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving services, preventing fraud, and direct marketing
• Consent: Where you have explicitly consented to processing for specific purposes (e.g., marketing communications)
• Legal Obligations: Processing required to comply with legal and regulatory requirements

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with the following parties:

5.1 Service Providers

We engage trusted third-party service providers who assist with:

• Payment processing (payment gateways and merchant services)
• Email delivery and communication services
• Website hosting and cloud storage
• Learning management system platforms
• Analytics and data analysis
• Customer support services
• Marketing and advertising platforms

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for specified purposes.

5.2 Professional Partners

We may share information with:

• Course instructors and educational partners
• Certification bodies and industry organizations
• Financial institutions and consulting firms (for placement opportunities, with your consent)

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law or to:

• Comply with legal processes, court orders, or government requests
• Enforce our terms and conditions
• Protect our rights, property, and safety
• Investigate and prevent fraud or security issues
• Protect the rights and safety of our users and third parties

5.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections.

6. International Data Transfers

While we primarily operate within the United Kingdom, some of our service providers may be located outside the UK/EEA. When we transfer your personal data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK Information Commissioner's Office
• Adequacy decisions recognizing equivalent data protection standards
• Other approved transfer mechanisms under UK GDPR

7. Data Security

We implement robust security measures to protect your information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest (SSL/TLS protocols)
• Secure authentication and access controls
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability testing
• Employee training on data protection and security practices
• Incident response procedures for data breaches
• Physical security measures for our facilities
• Regular backups and disaster recovery procedures

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your data using industry-standard practices.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Our retention periods are based on:

• Course Records: Maintained for 7 years after course completion for certification verification and regulatory compliance
• Financial Records: Retained for 7 years as required by UK tax and accounting regulations
• Marketing Communications: Retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
• Website Analytics: Typically retained for 26 months
• Account Information: Retained while your account is active, plus additional periods as required by law

When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

9. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

9.1 Right of Access

You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

9.2 Right to Rectification

You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

9.3 Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten")

You can request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances, such as when:

• The data is no longer necessary for the purposes it was collected
• You withdraw consent (where consent was the legal basis)
• You object to processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds
• The data has been unlawfully processed

9.4 Right to Restriction of Processing

You can request that we limit how we use your information in certain situations.

9.5 Right to Data Portability

You can request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and have it transmitted to another controller.

9.6 Right to Object

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.

9.7 Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making

You have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

9.8 Right to Withdraw Consent

Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 14. We will respond to your request within one month, though this may be extended by two additional months for complex requests.

10. Marketing Communications and Opt-Out

We may send you marketing communications about our courses, programs, and services if:

• You have provided consent to receive such communications
• You are an existing customer and we are marketing similar services (soft opt-in)

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

• Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email
• Adjusting your account preferences in our learning platform
• Contacting us directly using the information in Section 14
• Declining cookies through our cookie banner

Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we will still send essential service-related messages (e.g., course updates, payment confirmations).

11. Third-Party Links and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications not operated by us, including:

• Social media platforms
• Partner organizations
• Educational resources
• Industry publications

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by FinanceCare UK.

12. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 years of age. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to delete such information.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of significant changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website with a new "Last Updated" date
• Sending an email notification to registered users
• Displaying a prominent notice on our website

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy regularly. Your continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Information

For privacy-related inquiries, data subject access requests, or to exercise your rights, please contact us using the above information. We are committed to addressing your concerns and resolving issues promptly.

15. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you believe we have not handled your personal information properly or have concerns about our privacy practices, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority:

However, we encourage you to contact us first so we can address your concerns directly.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of the date stated above and applies to all users of FinanceCare UK's website and services. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.