Terms of service

Last updated: 2026-05-29

These terms apply to users in the European Union, European Economic Area, United Kingdom, African countries, and other regions where Sinefe is offered. Mandatory consumer protection and data protection laws in your country of residence prevail where they give you greater rights.

1. Agreement

By creating an account, clicking "Accept", or using Sinefe, you agree to these Terms of Service and our Privacy policy. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

Our use of cookies is governed by our Cookie policy. Where consent is required, you must accept via the cookie banner before non-essential cookies are placed.

2. The service

Sinefe provides software for merchants to operate collaborative savings groups and for members to view groups, targets, and contributions. Each merchant workspace is logically separate. We are a technology provider, not a bank, credit institution, deposit-taking entity, or licensed financial intermediary.

Merchants and members remain responsible for complying with local cooperative, chama, ROSCA, tax, and financial-services rules in their country.

3. Eligibility

• You must be at least 16 years old, or the minimum digital-consent age in your jurisdiction if higher.
• You must have legal capacity to enter a binding contract.
• Merchant accounts must accurately represent a business or organisation authorised to operate savings groups in their jurisdiction.

4. Accounts and security

• Provide accurate, current information and update it when it changes.
• Keep login credentials confidential; notify us promptly of unauthorised access.
• You are responsible for activity under your account unless caused by our fault.
• Merchants are responsible for member invitations, group rules, records shown to members, and lawful use of member data.

5. Data protection obligations

Both we and merchants must comply with applicable data protection law, including:

• EU/EEA: GDPR and ePrivacy rules.
• United Kingdom: UK GDPR and PECR.
• Africa: including POPIA (South Africa), Kenya Data Protection Act 2019, Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, Ghana Data Protection Act 2012, and equivalent national laws.

Merchants act as independent controllers for member data in their workspace and must provide lawful bases, privacy notices, and honour data subject requests for data they control.

6. Payments

Contributions are processed through Stripe or PayPal accounts configured by each merchant. Funds settle with the merchant’s payment provider; Sinefe records contribution status for group accounting. Payment terms, refunds, and disputes between members and merchants are primarily governed by the merchant’s policies and local consumer law.

7. Acceptable use

You must not:

• Use the platform for fraud, money laundering, pyramid schemes, or unlicensed financial activity.
• Attempt unauthorised access, interfere with security, or scrape data without permission.
• Upload unlawful, defamatory, or infringing content.
• Process personal data without a lawful basis or in breach of third-party rights.

8. Intellectual property

The platform, software, and branding belong to us or our licensors. You retain ownership of content you upload and grant us a non-exclusive licence to host, display, and back it up as needed to operate the service.

9. Consumer rights (EU/EEA and UK)

If you are a consumer, you may have statutory rights including withdrawal from distance contracts where applicable. Because the service is digital and begins upon account creation, local law may limit withdrawal once performance has started with your express consent. Contact us if you believe a statutory right applies.

10. African consumer and cooperative context

Users in African jurisdictions may have rights under national consumer protection, cooperative societies, and data protection legislation. Merchants must not misrepresent savings schemes or guarantee returns unless legally permitted. Members should review merchant rules and local regulations before contributing.

11. Availability and changes

We strive for reliable service but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may modify features with reasonable notice where practicable. Material adverse changes to paid features will be communicated in advance where required by law.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Sinefe is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses, or for merchant–member disputes, payment provider outages, or losses arising from savings arrangements between merchants and members.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under EU, UK, or African consumer protection law. Our aggregate liability for direct losses is limited to fees you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or zero if you use a free tier.

13. Termination

You may stop using the service at any time. We may suspend or terminate accounts that breach these terms, pose security risks, or where required by law. Upon termination, we handle personal data as described in our Privacy policy.

14. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Kenya, without prejudice to mandatory protections in your country of residence.

EU/EEA consumers may bring proceedings in their country of residence. UK consumers retain rights under UK law. African users may use courts or regulators provided under their national law. We encourage contacting info@topsusu.com first to resolve disputes informally.

15. Contact

General enquiries: info@topsusu.com · Data protection: info@topsusu.com