Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Akar ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the personal information of people who enquire about or enrol in our financial education programmes. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the rights available to you under Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA 2010).

This policy applies to personal data collected through our website at akari.sbs, our enquiry form, and through our programme registration processes. By providing your information, you agree to its handling as described here.

For privacy-related queries, contact us at: [email protected]

2. Data We Collect

We collect personal data in the following categories:

Contact information: Full name, email address, phone number (if provided).
Enquiry and message content: Information you submit through our contact form, including any questions or details you choose to share.
Programme participation data: For enrolled participants — attendance records, session feedback, and materials-related information.
Technical and analytics data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, session duration — collected via analytics tools and cookies where consent is given.

We do not collect financial product information, investment details, or sensitive financial personal data.

Legal basis for processing (under PDPA 2010): consent (for marketing and analytics); contractual necessity (for programme delivery); legitimate interest (for enquiry response and service improvement).

Retention: Enquiry data is retained for up to 12 months. Programme participant records are retained for up to 3 years from the last interaction.

3. How We Use Your Data

To respond to your enquiries and messages.
To manage your enrolment and participation in Akar programmes.
To send programme-related communications — session confirmations, materials, schedule changes.
To improve our programmes and website based on aggregate feedback and usage data.
To comply with applicable Malaysian laws and regulatory requirements.

We do not use your data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Marketing: We will only contact you for marketing purposes if you have given explicit consent. You may withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share data with:

Service providers: Third-party platforms that assist with email delivery, website hosting, or analytics — only to the extent necessary for those services and under data processing agreements.
Legal compliance: Where required by Malaysian law, court order, or regulatory authority.

We do not share personal data with any financial product providers, advertisers, or unrelated third parties.

5. Data Protection Measures

Our website uses HTTPS (TLS encryption) for all data transmission.
Access to personal data is restricted to Akar staff who need it for programme administration.
Data is stored on servers in accordance with PDPA 2010 security obligations.
In the event of a personal data breach that poses risk to individuals, we will notify affected persons and the relevant authority within a reasonable timeframe in line with applicable legal obligations.

6. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to help it function and, where consent is given, to understand how visitors use the site. These include essential cookies (required for operation), analytics cookies (optional), and preference cookies (optional). You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through our Cookie Policy page.

7. Your Rights Under PDPA 2010

Under Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010, you have the following rights:

Right to access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for processing at any time (where processing is consent-based).
Right to cease processing: Request that we stop using your data for direct marketing purposes.
Right to limit processing: Request that we restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 21 days. If you are dissatisfied with how your request is handled, you may contact the Department of Personal Data Protection Malaysia (JPDP) at www.pdp.gov.my.

8. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites for reference purposes. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies independently before providing any personal information.

9. Children's Privacy

Akar's programmes and website are intended for adults aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us promptly so we can delete it.

10. Policy Updates

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, the "Last Updated" date at the top will be changed. For material changes, we will notify active programme participants by email. Continued use of our website or services after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact — Data Controller

Akar
Level 16, Menara Prudential, Persiaran TRX Barat, 55188 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +60 3-2615 9740