Legal & Regulatory Compliance Privacy

Aretas Investment & Loans Limited (“Aretas”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide when using our website and services.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect, and disclose your personal information when you visit our website, submit a loan application, contact us, or use any of our services.

By using this website or submitting your information to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with Aretas, we may collect the following information:

Personal Information

  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Residential address
  • Government-issued identification details
  • Passport photograph
  • Bank Verification Number (BVN)
  • Employment information
  • Income information

Financial Information

Where required for a loan application, we may collect:

  • Bank account information
  • Bank statements
  • Payslips
  • Employment letters
  • Loan amount requested
  • Purpose of financing
  • Repayment preferences
  • Other information required for credit assessment

Business Information

For business and corporate applications, we may collect:

  • Business name and address
  • CAC registration information
  • TIN
  • Company bank statements
  • Directors’ information and identification
  • Financial statements and business records
  • LPOs and invoices
  • Other information required to assess the business

Technical Information

When you use our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information, such as:

  • IP address
  • Browser type
  • Device information
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited
  • Website usage information
  • Date and time of access

2. How We Collect Information

We may collect information when you:

  • Apply for a loan through our website.
  • Complete a contact or enquiry form.
  • Communicate with our staff or Relationship Managers.
  • Visit our office.
  • Submit documents for verification.
  • Communicate with us through email, telephone, or social media.
  • Browse or interact with our website.

3. How We Use Your Information

Aretas may use your information to:

  • Process and assess loan applications.
  • Verify your identity and information.
  • Conduct credit and risk assessments.
  • Communicate with you about your application.
  • Provide and manage our financial services.
  • Process and administer approved loans.
  • Contact you regarding repayments and account-related matters.
  • Respond to enquiries and provide customer support.
  • Meet applicable legal, regulatory, and compliance obligations.
  • Prevent fraud, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
  • Improve our products, services, and website.
  • Maintain appropriate business and financial records.

We will only use your information for legitimate and relevant purposes.

4. Credit and Information Verification

Where necessary and permitted by applicable law, information provided by an applicant may be verified with relevant third parties or information sources for the purpose of:

  • Confirming identity.
  • Verifying financial information.
  • Assessing creditworthiness.
  • Evaluating loan applications.
  • Managing credit and fraud risks.
  • Meeting regulatory and compliance requirements.

Where applicable, such verification will be conducted in accordance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

5. Sharing of Personal Information

Aretas will not sell your personal information.

However, we may share relevant information where necessary with trusted third parties and service providers that support our operations, including:

  • Credit reference or reporting agencies.
  • Identity and information verification providers.
  • Technology and IT service providers.
  • Payment and financial service providers.
  • Professional advisers.
  • Auditors and compliance service providers.
  • Government agencies and regulatory authorities where required.
  • Legal or law enforcement authorities where legally required.

Where information is shared, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that it is handled appropriately and securely.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

  • Unauthorised access.
  • Loss or theft.
  • Unauthorised disclosure.
  • Alteration.
  • Destruction.
  • Misuse.

However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You should also take reasonable steps to protect your login credentials, devices, and other personal information.

7. Data Retention

We will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including:

  • Processing and managing your application.
  • Providing our services.
  • Maintaining financial and business records.
  • Resolving disputes.
  • Preventing fraud.
  • Meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and compliance obligations.

When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, destroyed, or anonymised where appropriate.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Subject to applicable Nigerian data protection laws and any lawful limitations, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including the right to:

  • Request access to personal information we hold about you.
  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Request deletion of information where legally applicable.
  • Request restriction of certain processing activities.
  • Object to certain uses of your information.
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
  • Request information about how your personal data is being processed.

Some requests may be subject to legal, regulatory, contractual, or legitimate business requirements.

9. Cookies and Website Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, understand website usage, remember preferences, and improve user experience.

You may be able to manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect some website functionality.

10. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services.

Aretas is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of third-party websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our services are intended for eligible individuals, businesses, and organisations.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children where such collection is not permitted under applicable law.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business practices, technology, or applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

When changes are made, the updated policy will be published on this website with a revised “Last Updated” date.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us.

Aretas Investment & Loans Limited

3/5 Adeyemo Alakija Street,
Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

Business Hours:
Monday to Friday
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Phone: +234 704 147 4431
Email: info@aretasfinance.com

 

Privacy Statement

At Aretas, we are committed to protecting your personal information and handling it responsibly. Information provided through our website and loan application processes will be used for legitimate business, lending, verification, customer service, and regulatory purposes in accordance with applicable Nigerian data protection requirements.