Official Policy

Privacy Policy

Residency Programme Application & Tuition Payments

Last updated: September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Swiss Finance Institute (“Swiss Finance Institute,” “SFI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards personal information when you access our website, apply for or enrol in a residency or professional education programme, or pay programme tuition.

By using our website or submitting an application or payment, you acknowledge that your personal information will be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are

Swiss Finance Institute is a professional education and training organisation, headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, that provides residency and professional development programmes.

For data protection purposes, Swiss Finance Institute acts as the data controller for personal data processed through our website and programme portals, except where a third-party provider acts as an independent controller for its own processing activities. The controller’s contact details are set out in Section 12.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you provide. We may collect personal information you provide directly, including:

Identity information: name, date of birth, nationality, and professional credentials (as applicable to programme requirements)
Contact information: email address, phone number, and mailing address
Application and enrolment information: educational background, employment history, supporting documents, references, and information you submit in forms
Communications: information you provide when contacting us, including messages sent through forms or by email

2.2 Tuition payment information. When you pay programme tuition, payment processing is performed by third-party payment service providers. Depending on the payment method, SFI may receive limited information necessary to:

confirm that a tuition payment or instalment has been initiated or completed
reconcile programme enrolment and payment status
maintain transaction records required for accounting, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, and compliance

This information may include transaction identifiers, timestamps, payment status, and limited funding source details provided by the payment processor. SFI does not store online banking credentials.

2.3 Information collected automatically. When you use our website, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

Usage data: pages visited, actions taken, referring URLs, and time spent on pages
Device and technical data: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and approximate location derived from IP address

3. How We Use Your Information

We may use personal information for the following purposes:

Process programme applications, eligibility screening, and enrolment administration
Provide access to programme services
Process tuition payments and maintain payment-related records
Communicate with you regarding your application, enrolment, account, or enquiries
Provide support
Maintain security, prevent fraud, and protect our systems, programmes, and users
Comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and contractual obligations
Improve and optimize our services, website performance, and user experience

4. Legal Bases for Processing (EU/UK)

Where applicable under the GDPR or UK GDPR, SFI processes personal data on the following legal bases:

Contract: processing necessary to perform our agreement with you (including programme enrolment, services, and tuition payment)
Legal obligation: processing necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements
Legitimate interests: security monitoring, fraud prevention, service improvement, and operational integrity (balanced against your rights)
Consent: where required, including for certain marketing communications or optional tracking technologies

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

5. How We Share Your Information

SFI does not sell personal information. We may share personal information with:

Payment processors and bank-verification providers to facilitate tuition payments and confirm funding sources where applicable
Technology providers (such as hosting, storage, communications, and analytics providers) operating under contractual confidentiality and data protection obligations
Professional advisers (such as legal, tax, and compliance advisers) where necessary
Regulators, courts, or law enforcement where required by law or where necessary to protect rights, security, or prevent fraud

We share information only as necessary for the specific purpose and require appropriate safeguards from service providers.

6. Data Retention

SFI retains personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including programme administration, recordkeeping, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, and compliance with legal and regulatory obligations.

Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information and applicable legal requirements. Where possible, data is deleted, anonymized, or de-identified when it is no longer required.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have rights to:

request access to your personal information
request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations)
restrict or object to certain processing
request portability of your personal information
withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

Requests may be submitted using the contact details below. If you are located in the EU or UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8. Security

SFI maintains technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information, including access controls, encryption, monitoring, and periodic security reviews.

Tuition payment processing and bank connectivity are handled by specialised third-party providers using industry-standard security measures.

No system can be guaranteed to be fully secure. Users should take care when submitting sensitive information online and should use secure devices and networks.

9. International Data Transfers

Because SFI operates internationally, personal information may be transferred to and processed in jurisdictions outside your country of residence, including the United States.

Where required by applicable law, such transfers are conducted using appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses or other legally recognized transfer mechanisms.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

SFI may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, analytics, and security. Where required by law, we will obtain consent before using non-essential cookies.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page and reflected by an updated “Last updated” date. If changes materially affect how we process personal information, we may provide additional notice by email or by other appropriate means.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, you may contact the data controller:

Swiss Finance Institute
Badenerstrasse 47 Stauffacher
2nd & 4th Floor
8004 Zürich, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 43 508 48 82
Email: [email protected]
Website: swissfinanceinstitute.ai