Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to Ardelio Financial Advisory (Pty) Ltd (referred to as "Ardelio", "we", "us" or "our"), a private company registered in South Africa, and governs the collection and use of personal information through our website at ardelio.pro and in the course of our advisory services.

We are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 ("POPIA"). This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and the rights you hold as a data subject.

1. Responsible Party

The responsible party for the processing of personal information described in this policy is:

Legal name	Ardelio Financial Advisory (Pty) Ltd
Company type	Private Company (Pty) Ltd
Registration number	2019/348217/07
VAT number	4820571639
Registered address	37 Bree Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Phone	+27 21 486 3920
Email	info@ardelio.pro

2. Information Officer

In accordance with POPIA, Ardelio has appointed an Information Officer responsible for ensuring compliance with the Act. The Information Officer can be contacted directly at info@ardelio.pro or by post at the registered address above, marked "Attention: Information Officer".

3. Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you provide directly to us, as well as information collected automatically when you use our website.

• Contact and enquiry data — name, email address, phone number and any message content submitted through our contact form or by direct correspondence.
• Client and advisory data — where you engage us for advisory services, financial and identification information necessary to provide that service, collected separately under the terms of our engagement.
• Technical and usage data — IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and referral source, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy).
• Correspondence — records of communications between you and us, including email and phone records.

4. How We Use Your Information

We process personal information only where a lawful basis exists under POPIA, including:

• To respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form or by phone/email;
• To provide, administer and improve our financial advisory services;
• To comply with legal, regulatory and contractual obligations, including record-keeping requirements applicable to financial advisers;
• To maintain the security and proper functioning of our website;
• To analyse website usage in order to improve the pages and services we offer, where you have consented to analytics cookies;
• To send relevant communications, where you have consented to marketing use.

5. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies classified as strictly necessary, analytics and marketing. Strictly necessary cookies are essential to core site functions such as security, forms and navigation, and do not require consent. Analytics and marketing cookies are only set with your consent, given through the cookie preference banner presented on your first visit. Full details are set out in our Cookie Policy.

6. Contact Form Data

When you submit our contact form, we collect the information you provide (typically name, email, phone number and message) in order to respond to your enquiry. This data is stored only for as long as necessary to handle your enquiry and any resulting correspondence, and is not used for any purpose beyond that without your further consent.

7. Hosting and Data Storage

Our website and associated data are hosted using infrastructure providers that maintain appropriate technical and organisational security measures. Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa for hosting or processing purposes, we ensure that such transfers comply with the cross-border transfer requirements of POPIA, including that the recipient is subject to a comparable level of data protection.

8. Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell personal information. We may share personal information with:

• Service providers who support our website, IT and hosting infrastructure, under confidentiality and data processing obligations;
• Professional advisers, auditors and regulators, where required to meet legal or regulatory obligations applicable to financial advisory businesses;
• Law enforcement or other authorities, where required by law.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including any applicable legal, accounting or regulatory retention requirements relevant to financial advisory records. Where information is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

10. Security Measures

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure, consistent with the requirements of POPIA. These include access controls, encryption where appropriate, and regular review of our security practices.

11. Your Rights as a Data Subject

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Be notified that your personal information is being collected;
• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Request correction or deletion of inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive or unlawfully obtained personal information;
• Object to the processing of your personal information, on reasonable grounds;
• Withdraw consent, where processing is based on consent, at any time;
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights under POPIA have been infringed.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Information Officer using the details in section 2.

12. Information Regulator

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa), whose contact details are publicly available, if you are not satisfied with our handling of your personal information.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The "last reviewed" date at the top of this page indicates when it was most recently updated. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

14. Contact Us

For any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of personal information, please contact us at info@ardelio.pro or +27 21 486 3920, or write to us at 37 Bree Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa.