Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Shielded Finance Pty. Ltd. (ACN 694 597 772), Authorised Credit Representative (ACR #577342) of Fintelligence Pty Ltd (ABN 80 625 017 174), Australian Credit Licence #511803 (“Shielded Finance”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“Privacy Act”) and the Australian Privacy Principles (“APPs”).

By using our website at https://www.shieldedfinance.com.au or submitting an enquiry, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this policy.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Identity information: Full name, date of birth
• Contact information: Email address, mobile phone number, postcode, business address
• Financial information: Funding amount required, business revenue details, credit history (where you consent to a credit check)
• Business information: Business name, ABN, industry, time in business
• Technical information: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited (collected automatically)
• Communications: Records of correspondence with us

3. How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information:

• Directly from you when you complete our online enquiry form
• When you contact us by phone, email, or in person
• Automatically through cookies and analytics tools when you visit our website
• From third parties such as credit reporting bodies (with your consent)
• From lenders and other financial services providers as part of the referral process

4. Why We Collect and Use Your Personal Information

We collect and use your personal information to:

• Assess your enquiry and match you with suitable finance solutions
• Refer your application to lenders on our panel
• Communicate with you about your enquiry and application progress
• Verify your identity and prevent fraud
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
• Improve our products, services, and website
• Send marketing communications (where you have consented)

5. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose your personal information to:

• Lenders and credit providers on our panel for the purpose of assessing your finance application
• Service providers who assist us in operating our business (e.g., SMS verification providers, email service providers, cloud hosting providers)
• Credit reporting bodies (where you consent to a credit enquiry)
• Government and regulatory authorities where required by law
• Professional advisers such as lawyers and accountants

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not disclose your information to overseas recipients unless required to do so in connection with our services or as required by law.

6. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our website uses 256-bit SSL encryption for data transmitted online. We store data on secure servers and implement access controls to limit who can view your information.

While we take reasonable precautions, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You transmit information to us at your own risk.

7. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and collect analytics data. We may use Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Meta Pixel to understand how visitors use our site. These tools may collect information such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited.

You can disable cookies through your browser settings, however this may affect the functionality of our website.

8. Access and Correction

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to request access to and correction of your personal information held by us. To make a request, please contact us using the details below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time (generally within 30 days). We may charge a reasonable fee for providing access.

We may refuse access in certain circumstances permitted by law, and will advise you of the reasons if we do so.

9. Marketing Communications

We may send you marketing communications about our products and services where you have consented. You can opt out at any time by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link in any email or by contacting us directly. We will process opt-out requests within a reasonable timeframe.

10. Complaints

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or this Privacy Policy, please contact us at complaints@shieldedfinance.com.au. We will acknowledge your complaint within 1 business day and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on our website with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us