Terms and conditions
The agreement between you and Shepherd Trust Microfinance Bank governing your use of NeoCash.
(The "Agreement") — including who it applies to. When you open an account with us, you are setting up an agreement. This is between Shepherd Trust Microfinance Bank Limited (or any other company we transfer it to) and you.
The Agreement applies to and regulates the provision of the financial services provided by Shepherd Trust Microfinance Bank Limited (hereinafter called "STMFB"), a financial institution licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria ("CBN") which provides financial services via its mobile application — NeoCash™.
By clicking to accept this Agreement, you agree to be bound by this Agreement, consent to electronic communications as further detailed below, and agree to STMFB's Privacy Policy. The headings contained in this document are for reference purposes only. You should keep a copy of this Agreement for your records.
Parties to this agreement
This Agreement is a contract between you ("You", "Your") and Shepherd Trust Microfinance Bank Limited ("STMFB", "NeoCash", "We", "Us", "Our") — each individually a "Party", and collectively the "Parties". This Agreement is a legally binding agreement between You and STMFB governing Your non-transferable (unless with Our prior written consent) use of the NeoCash app, NeoCash website, and any features and products that STMFB may make available to You through the NeoCash application or website (collectively, the "Services").
Which country's law and courts apply?
Except as expressly provided otherwise, this Agreement is governed by and will be construed under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In the event of a dispute, this Agreement shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In this agreement there are four sections
Definitions
In this Agreement, the terms "You", "Your", and "Customer" shall mean the person who applied for this Account and agrees to this Agreement, while "We", "Us" and "Our" shall mean NeoCash, and following an assignment, any person, company or bank to whom the rights and/or obligations of NeoCash have been assigned.
Account — means Your account with NeoCash.
Disbursement Date — means the date NeoCash advanced the loan to Your Account.
Payment Due Date — means the loan repayment date as defined in a loan offer letter.
Credit Limit — means the maximum credit available to You on opening an account with NeoCash.
Loan — means the amount advanced to You by NeoCash.
Customer's consent
By ticking "I agree to the Terms and Conditions" on this site / NeoCash app, which You hereby adopt as Your electronic signature, You consent and agree that:
(a) We can provide materials and other information about Your legal rights and duties to You electronically.
(b) We are authorized to share, receive and use data/information collected from Your transaction with other affiliated third parties. You consent to Our transferring Your data to recipients in foreign countries to process such data. You are aware of the risks involved in such transfer and that such transfer is required for the performance of Our contract with You.
(c) You hereby expressly consent and authorize NeoCash to debit Your Account and/or authorize Us or any of Our duly authorized agents or partners to initiate a Global Standing Instruction ("GSI") trigger (i.e. instruct other banks/participating financial institutions to initiate a balance inquiry into any accounts maintained by you with them and linked to your BVN) to recover the outstanding principal amount and accrued interest only from any, or all, accounts maintained by you.
(d) To access payroll-related offers, You have expressly consented and authorized Us to verify Your salary details with Your employer and/or Your employer's appointed salary processors without further recourse to You.
(e) You authorize NeoCash to periodically review Your credit report, and You understand that this Account may be subject to transaction fees and default fees.
(f) Your electronic signature on this Agreement has the same effect as if You signed using ink on paper or any other physical means.
(g) NeoCash reserves the right to transfer or assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to its affiliates or to a third party, and You consent to such transfer or assignment.
(h) We can send all important communications, billing statements, demand notes and reminders (collectively, "Disclosures") to You electronically via our website or to an email address that You provide to Us while applying for this Loan.
(i) We will alert You when the Disclosures are available, by sending You an electronic communication.
(j) Our email will tell You how You can view the Disclosures.
(k) We will make the Disclosures available to You from the date they first become available, or the date we send You the email to alert You that they are available.
(l) You will be able to print a copy of the Disclosure or download the information for Your records.
(m) This consent applies to this transaction, to all future Disclosures on this Account, to all future transactions in which You use the NeoCash payment option with Us, and to other Disclosures that We provide to You by email, unless You have previously withdrawn Your consent by the procedure mentioned below.
By consenting, You agree that electronic Disclosures have the same meaning and effect as if We provided paper Disclosures to You, as We are required to do. When we send You an email alerting You that the Disclosures are available electronically and make them available online, that shall have the same meaning and effect as if We provided paper Disclosures to You, whether or not You choose to view them, unless You had previously withdrawn Your consent to receive Disclosures electronically.
Conditions for use of your NeoCash account
To use the Account:
1. You must: (a) accept and agree to these Terms and Conditions; (b) register with us on the NeoCash™ app; (c) be a Nigerian citizen (or a legal Nigerian resident) of at least 18 years of age; and (d) provide all information as may be requested by Us, such as Your name, email address, mobile device number, online credentials for Your bank account, and such other information as We may request from time to time (collectively, "Customer Information").
2. You represent and warrant that all Customer Information you provide us from time to time is truthful, accurate, current, and complete, and you agree not to misrepresent your identity or your Customer Information.
3. You agree to promptly notify Us of changes to Your Customer Information by updating your profile on the NeoCash™ app, and to notify Us at least five business days before any changes to Your bank account information, including the closure of Your bank account for any reason.
4. If We approve Your registration, You will be authorized to use the Account, subject to these terms:
(i) For Our compliance purposes and to provide the Account services to You, You hereby authorize Us, directly or through a third party, to obtain, verify, and record information and documentation that helps Us verify Your identity and bank account information.
(ii) When You register for the Account and from time to time thereafter, We may require You to provide and/or confirm information and documentation that will allow Us to identify You, such as: (a) a copy of Your government-issued photo ID, such as a national ID, international passport, permanent voter's card, or driver's license; (b) a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, affidavit, or other bill dated within three months of Our request, with Your name and Nigerian street address on it; and (c) such other information and documentation that We may require from time to time.
5. By using the Account and providing Customer Information to NeoCash, You automatically authorize NeoCash to obtain, directly or indirectly through Our third-party service providers and without any time limit or the requirement to pay any fees, information about You and Your bank account from the financial institution holding Your bank account and other third-party websites and databases as necessary to provide the Account to You. For purposes of such authorization, You grant NeoCash and Our third-party service providers a limited power of attorney, and You appoint Us as Your true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution, for You and in Your name, place, and stead, to access third-party websites, servers, and documents; retrieve information; and use Your Customer Information as described above.
6. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT WHEN NEOCASH OR OUR THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS ACCESS AND RETRIEVE INFORMATION FROM SUCH THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES, NEOCASH AND OUR THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE ACTING AS YOUR AGENT, AND NOT THE AGENT OF, OR ON BEHALF OF, THE THIRD PARTY.
7. You agree that other third parties shall be entitled to rely on the foregoing authorization, agency, and power of attorney granted by You.
8. You agree to waive NeoCash of all liability in relation to any loss or damage You may incur as a result of your registration and use of the Account.
We make no effort to review information obtained from the financial institution holding Your bank account and other third-party websites and databases for any purpose, including accuracy, legality, or non-infringement. As between NeoCash and Our third-party service providers, NeoCash owns Your confidential Customer Information.
1. Our lending terms
Your obligation
1. You agree to pay to NeoCash the Loan sum, including any convenience, default or penalty fees, flat interest rate, and other amounts due to NeoCash charged to this Account. You also promise to pay these amounts as agreed on or before the Payment Due Date.
2. NeoCash reserves the right to presume that You have authorized any Loan application made in Your name using this Account. You will be deemed responsible for any unauthorized application using this Account.
3. You agree to repay the Loan via direct cash transfer to a bank account listed by NeoCash, an electronic debit from the card/account You provided on the due date, or through an acceptable electronic channel. NeoCash reserves the right to accept early repayment before the Payment Due Date, provided You have given adequate notice and repay the full loan along with the flat interest rate. Loan repayment via electronic debit card may be affected as follows:
(i) We shall charge a one-time processing fee the first time You set up a new debit card on the Account. If the card is expired or about to expire, You will have to obtain a renewed card from Your bank or provide Us with another personal debit card.
(ii) We shall deduct from the card set up on the Payment Due Date. We will never make any transactions on the card outside of the scheduled loan repayments. In the event of a double repayment initiated in error by You, We will, on a reasonable-effort basis, process a refund within a reasonable time.
(iii) You hereby indemnify Us against any losses, liabilities, or damages that may arise if You use a third party's card on Your Account without the consent of such third party.
4. In the event of a default or insufficiency of funds in Your bank account, You hereby authorize Us to charge any other cards You may have on Your Account or profile other than the primary card listed.
(i) You understand and agree that We do not store card details on Our platform; card details shall be processed through a secure payment gateway that is PCI DSS compliant.
(ii) You agree to give NeoCash authentic and up-to-date personal, social media, phone, and financial records that We may reasonably request and analyze from time to time.
(iii) You agree to pay all costs of collection if NeoCash takes any action to collect the Loan or take any action in a bankruptcy proceeding filed by or against You, including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses.
(iv) You agree not to give Us false information or signatures, electronic or otherwise, at any time.
(v) You agree to pay a late fee or penalty fee as may be provided in this Agreement.
(vi) You agree to make all payments via direct debit on cards or by electronic funds transfer as stated in the application form.
(vii) You agree to promptly notify NeoCash if You change Your name, mailing address, email address or telephone number.
(viii) You hereby agree to honor any other promises that You make in this Agreement.
(ix) You hereby agree that You will not accept this Account unless You are of legal age and have the capacity to enter into a valid contract.
(x) You agree not to use NeoCash for any act of illegality or criminality, and NeoCash shall not be legally or criminally culpable for any illegality committed by You.
Our obligation
1. We agree to make available the Loan/credit facility to You.
2. We agree to perform Our obligation under (1) above upon confirmation by Us of Your identity and personal information.
3. To demand repayment from You as and when due.
4. To conduct investigations on You prior to opening an account for You.
5. To use all reasonable and legitimate means to collect the amount extended to You, the default fee, the transaction fees, and any other penalty fee that may be imposed as a result of the loan.
6. Not to store or save your debit or credit card details given by You during Your application.
7. By accepting these terms and conditions, You covenant to repay any outstanding obligation as and when due. If You do not, and such obligation becomes delinquent, NeoCash shall have the right to report the delinquent obligation to the Central Bank of Nigeria through the Credit Risk Management System ("CRMS") or by any means, and request the CBN to direct all banks and other financial institutions under its regulatory purview to set off Your indebtedness from any money standing to Your credit and from any other financial assets they may hold for Your benefit.
8. You covenant and warrant that NeoCash shall have power to set off Your indebtedness under this Agreement from all such monies and funds standing to Your credit/benefit in any and all such accounts or from any other financial assets belonging to You in the custody of any such bank.
9. You hereby waive any right of confidentiality whether arising under common law or statute or in any other manner, and irrevocably agree that You shall not argue to the contrary before any court of law, tribunal, administrative authority, or any other body acting in any judicial or quasi-judicial capacity.
Credit reference
1. We or Our duly authorized representatives/agents will utilize dedicated Credit Agencies for a credit report on You in considering any application for credit.
2. You authorize Us to access any information available to You as provided by the Credit Agency.
3. You also agree that Your details (excluding the card details) and the Loan application decision may be registered with the Credit Agency.
2. Our payment terms
Making payments from your account
Your Account can be used to make payments such as airtime purchases, bill payments, and fund transfers within the NeoCash app.
1. For payments to be successful, Your Account must be adequately funded, and You will be notified if payments are unsuccessful.
2. You will be sent a notification for all payment transactions, and a receipt for all payments will be available to You.
3. You can make transfers from Your Account to any Nigerian bank. NeoCash may reject, decline, fail to authorize, or delay any transaction to or from Your Account — or, in the case of a credit to Your Account, delay making the funds available — where We consider it reasonable to do so, including:
(a) The payment instructions You or the third party provided are unclear.
(b) Suspected fraud or criminal activity on your Account.
(c) Illegality of the proposed transaction.
(d) A restriction applies to Your Account.
(e) Compliance with any applicable laws (including any laws relating to anti-money laundering or sanctions).
4. If We block Your payment, We will let You know using any of Our communication channels.
5. You agree that We are not liable to You for any loss or damage You suffer as a result of Us rejecting, declining, failing to authorize, or delaying any transaction to or from Your account, or any delay in funds being made available to You.
Scheduled / recurring payments
1. To set up a recurring payment from Your Account, You must first activate the recurring transaction to enable Us to make the scheduled payments.
2. If You ask Us to make any scheduled payments on a specified date, Your payment will go out on the date You have indicated.
3. It is Your responsibility to check that there is sufficient available balance before any payment is due. If Your Account does not have sufficient available balance, Your scheduled payment will be rejected.
4. You agree that it is Your responsibility to cancel the scheduled payments set by You, and NeoCash shall not be liable for any loss incurred due to Your failure to cancel such scheduled/recurring payments.
Payments into your account
1. You can fund Your account through bank transfers or by receiving payments directly into Your NeoCash Account. We may not approve receipt of funds into Your Account if any of the following happens: (a) Your account has been suspended; (b) Your account has been deleted; (c) compliance with applicable laws, rules, or regulations, including any laws relating to anti-money laundering or sanctions.
2. Where payment is not approved, the funds may be reversed to the sender without any notice to You.
3. General terms
Notices
You agree that We may communicate with You by sending notices, messages, alerts, and statements in relation to this Agreement in the following manner:
(a) To the most recent physical address We hold for You in Our records.
(b) By delivery to any email address provided by You during the application process.
(c) By delivery of an SMS to any mobile telephone number You have provided to NeoCash.
(d) By posting such notice on Our website.
(e) Through push notifications on Your mobile device.
Transaction fees
1. The transaction fee for the use of the NeoCash Account shall be up to one percent (1%) daily, fixed for the term of the loan.
2. The transaction fee does not preclude Us from charging default fees, a penalty fee, and — in the event of any dispute arising from this Agreement — the cost of litigation / solicitors' fees.
3. The transaction fee may be increased or decreased from time to time by NeoCash. Such change will take effect on Your account following a minimum of fifteen (15) days' written notice.
4. A total transaction fee for the term of the Loan shall remain applicable in the event that You liquidate the Loan before expiration.
Event of default
1. Default in terms of this Agreement will occur if: (a) You fail to make any scheduled repayment in full on or before the payment due date in accordance with the repayment plan given to You; (b) any representation, information, warranty, or assurance made by You in connection with the application or any documentation supplied by You is later discovered to be materially incorrect; or (c) You do anything which may prejudice our rights in terms of this Agreement or causes Us to suffer any loss or damage.
2. In the event of any default by You subject to clause 1 above:
(a) We may, without notice to or demand on You (which notice or demand You expressly waive), set off, appropriate, or apply any balance outstanding on Your investment account held by Us, or any indebtedness at any time owed by Us to or for Your account, against Your obligations to NeoCash, whether or not those obligations have matured.
(b) We reserve the right to assign Our right, title, and interest under the Agreement to an external collections agency that will take all reasonable steps to collect the outstanding loan amount.
(c) We also reserve the right to institute legal proceedings against You, and we will inform You before such proceedings commence.
(d) You shall be responsible for all legal costs and expenses incurred by us in attempting to obtain repayment of any outstanding loan balance owed by You. Interest on any amount which becomes due and payable shall be charged.
Termination of accounts
1. In addition to termination by default, We may terminate this Agreement at any time and for any reason, subject to the requirements of applicable law.
2. We may terminate Your Account by sending written notice to the address on Your application.
3. If there is no debit or credit on Your Account for twelve (12) consecutive months, We may terminate this Account without notice to You.
4. When termination arises as a result of default, You shall not be able to apply for credit in the future.
Closing of an account
You may request to close Your Account at any time by contacting Us. Your request may take up to 30 business days to process. If You owe any payment to NeoCash, NeoCash will not close your Account until that payment has been made, but We may limit Your ability to make additional transactions using Your Account. You may not close Your Account to evade an investigation. You will remain liable for all obligations related to Your Account even after the account is closed. NeoCash will retain Your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and any applicable law, rule, or regulation.
Limitation of liability
To the extent not prohibited by law, under no circumstances shall We, Our subsidiaries, partners, or affiliates be liable to You for:
(a) personal injury or any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages arising from or relating to this Agreement, the use of or inability to use a NeoCash Account, the Services, or Our or Your liabilities to third parties arising from any source; or
(b) except as required under applicable law, any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages arising from or relating to the conduct of You or anyone else in connection with the use of a NeoCash Account or the Services, including damages arising from Your failure to provide Us with accurate information or a third party's failure to correctly verify such information.
You agree that if any lawsuit or court proceeding is permitted under this Agreement, the aggregate liability of Us and Our affiliates and suppliers to You for all claims arising out of or related to this Agreement or Your use or inability to use the Services will not exceed the amount of any affected order(s) giving rise to such damages. These limitations will apply even if the above-stated remedy fails in its essential purpose.
Miscellaneous
1. This Agreement represents the entire understanding between You and NeoCash with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement. You and NeoCash acknowledge and agree that the other has not made any representations, warranties or agreements of any kind except as expressly set forth herein.
2. We may amend this Agreement from time to time. If we make any changes that We deem to be material, We will notify You in advance via the email address associated with Your Account. If you do not agree with the changes, do not use the Services.
3. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, neither NeoCash, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, attorneys, or agents shall have any liability with respect to any claim for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages suffered or incurred by you in connection with, arising out of, or in any way related to a breach of this Agreement.
4. The failure of NeoCash to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision in that or any other instance.
5. We may transfer, assign or sell this Agreement, and any rights under this Agreement, to a third party without Your consent. You agree that we may appoint third-party collections agencies to collect any amounts owing to Us under this Agreement without Your consent. You hereby waive demand, notice of non-payment, protest, and all other notices or demands whatsoever, and consent that — without notice to and without releasing the liability of any party — the obligations evidenced by this Agreement may from time to time, in whole or part, be renewed, extended, modified, accelerated, compromised, settled, canceled or released by Us.
6. You hereby authorize and consent to all lawful access, use, or disclosure of Your particulars, data, and information in the application by Us for purposes necessary to provide You with the services.
7. NeoCash may at any time vary and revise these Terms and Conditions by updating this document. The most updated version will be available for Your review under the "NeoCash™ Terms and Conditions" link that appears on the NeoCash website and mobile application.
8. You acknowledge that all intellectual property rights in NeoCash™ belong to Shepherd Trust Microfinance Bank or its licensors, and that rights in the application/website are licensed (not sold or assigned) to You in accordance with this Agreement. You have no rights in or to the mobile application/website other than the right to use each of them in accordance with this Agreement, and no right to access the mobile application in source-code form.
Indemnification
You agree to release, indemnify and hold harmless Us, Our affiliates, and Our and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal and accounting fees) arising out of or in any way related to:
(a) Your access to, use of, or inability to use Your NeoCash Account or the Services;
(b) Your breach or alleged breach of this Agreement;
(c) Your violation of any rights of a third party, including any negligent or willful misconduct of Your employees, contractors, or agents, or a breach of any contracts or other relationships between You and third parties;
(d) Your violation of any applicable law; or
(e) Your failure to provide and maintain true, accurate, current, and complete information in Your NeoCash Account.
You shall cooperate as fully as reasonably required in the defense of any such claim. NeoCash reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by You. You agree not to settle any matter without the prior written consent of NeoCash. This indemnification, defense and hold-harmless obligation will survive this Agreement and the termination of Your use of the Services.
Keeping in touch
(a) How to contact us: You can contact Us using the in-app support feature on the mobile application, via email at hi@neocash.ng, or by telephone at +234 (0)1 229 3371.
(b) How we will contact you: We will contact You in English using email, through your phone number provided to Us, or through push notifications on Your device when You spend or receive money. If any of Your contact details change, You must let Us know as soon as possible.