1. Who we are
Arkflow is a trading name of Solarmente (Pty) Ltd (the "Company", "we", "us", "our"), a private company incorporated in South Africa with its registered office at 5 Hall Road, Sea Point, 8051 Cape Town, South Africa. We operate the website arkflow.co.za and the Arkflow solar & water finance platform used by EPCs, suppliers, brokers and their end clients across SADC.
For all privacy enquiries, contact us at hello@arkflow.co.za.
2. Information we collect
When you interact with Arkflow — through this website, our communication channels, or the platform — we may collect:
- Identity & contact data — name, email address, phone number, role/title, country.
- Business data — company name, originator type (EPC, supplier, broker), registration details, VAT number.
- Deal & finance application data — CAPEX, system size, yield, consumption, proposal selections, and the supporting documents required for finance application (which vary by entity type and finance structure).
- End-client data submitted by subscribers — where an EPC, supplier or broker uses the platform to collect documents from their client, that client's information is processed on the subscriber's behalf.
- Communications — messages sent via the contact form, email, WhatsApp, or in-platform chat.
- Technical & usage data — IP address, browser, device type, pages viewed, login times, feature use within the platform, and session recordings (see Cookies & Analytics).
3. How we use your information
We process personal information for the following purposes:
- To respond to enquiries and onboard new subscribers (EPCs, suppliers, brokers, lenders).
- To create and manage your Arkflow platform account and CRM dashboard.
- To generate finance proposals, run prequalification, and submit deals to lenders on the Arkflow panel — or to your nominated lenders, where you have selected that option.
- To match deals to the appropriate lender or funder based on jurisdiction, currency, structure and asset type.
- To process subscription payments and issue invoices.
- To send transactional notifications (deal status, document requests, lender updates, payment receipts, account changes).
- To improve the platform's features, performance and security.
- To comply with legal, regulatory, anti-money-laundering and tax obligations.
4. Lawful basis (POPIA)
We process personal information under one or more of the following lawful bases set out in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA):
- Consent — where you have explicitly agreed (e.g. submitting the contact form or accepting a finance proposal).
- Performance of a contract — where processing is necessary to deliver the platform services you have subscribed to.
- Legal obligation — where processing is required by law (e.g. KYC, FICA, tax records).
- Legitimate interest — where we have a clear business reason (e.g. fraud prevention, platform security) that does not override your rights.
5. How we share your information
We do not sell your personal information. We share information only where it is necessary to deliver the service or comply with the law:
- Lenders & funders on the Arkflow panel — to assess and approve finance applications submitted through the platform. Information shared is limited to what the lender requires for the chosen structure.
- Your nominated lenders — where a subscriber elects to submit deals to their own lender relationships, the deal pack is forwarded to that lender at the subscriber's instruction.
- Subscribers (EPCs, suppliers, brokers) — where you are an end client whose documents have been collected by a subscriber on your behalf, that subscriber will see the information you submit through the platform.
- Service providers — payment processors (e.g. NetCash), email delivery, hosting, communications infrastructure (e.g. WhatsApp Business via Meta), and analytics (Microsoft Clarity, Cloudflare).
- Authorities — where required by South African law or a court order.
6. Cross-border processing
Arkflow operates across SADC. Personal information may be transferred to or processed in countries outside South Africa where we, our subscribers, our lender panel members, or our service providers operate. Where this happens we take reasonable steps to ensure the receiving party is subject to laws, contractual provisions or rules giving effect to substantially similar conditions to those set out in POPIA.
7. Cookies & analytics
We use a small number of cookies and analytics tools to keep the website and platform functional, secure and improving:
- Microsoft Clarity — for anonymised behavioural analytics, heatmaps and session recordings to help us understand how the site is used. Clarity may set cookies on your device. You can read Microsoft's privacy statement at privacy.microsoft.com.
- Cloudflare — for site delivery, security and performance analytics. Cloudflare may process IP and request metadata.
- Essential cookies — for login sessions, security tokens and preference storage on the platform.
8. Data security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encrypted transport (TLS), secure server infrastructure, role-based access control, audit logging, and regular review of our security practices. No method of electronic storage is 100% secure, but we work to a high standard of stewardship — your data is held in trust.
9. Data retention
We retain personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the services. Finance application records are retained for the period required by South African financial regulation and contract law. If you request deletion of your data, we will remove it within 30 days, except where retention is legally required (for example, KYC and FICA records).
10. Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations).
- Object to the processing of your information for certain purposes.
- Withdraw consent at any time, where processing relies on consent.
- Lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za.
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@arkflow.co.za. We will respond within a reasonable time and in line with POPIA.
11. Children
The Arkflow platform is intended for use by businesses and adults applying for finance. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Material changes will be highlighted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date.
13. Contact us
For questions about this privacy policy, to exercise your POPIA rights, or for any other privacy-related matter:
Email: hello@arkflow.co.za
Address: Solarmente (Pty) Ltd, 5 Hall Road, Sea Point, 8051 Cape Town, South Africa
Information Officer: Available on request.