Legal

Terms of service

Last updated September 10, 2026

Version: 1.1 (draft for legal review) · Last updated: [[EFFECTIVE_DATE]] · Effective: [[EFFECTIVE_DATE]]

Draft. This document has not yet been reviewed by counsel and contains placeholders in [[double brackets]] that must be completed before it takes effect.

How to read this agreement

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are a binding contract between you and [[COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME]] (“Bizik”, “we”, “us”, “our”). They govern your access to and use of the Bizik website, progressive web application, mobile applications, WhatsApp service and any related interface (together, the “Platform”), and every service we provide through it (the “Services”).

By creating an account, by sending your first message to the Bizik WhatsApp number, or by using any part of the Platform, you accept these Terms. If you do not accept them, you must not use the Services. Section 3 explains exactly when and how the contract is formed.

Certain clauses limit our liability, permit us to freeze or close your account, permit money to be released without your further approval after a fixed period, and require most disputes between you and us to be resolved by arbitration. Those clauses are marked ⚠ Important and are drawn to your attention specifically. Read them.

Defined terms are capitalised and are explained in section 2.

Part A — Preliminary

1. Who we are

1.1 Identity of the operator

The Services are operated by:

Legal name	[[COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME]]
Legal form	[[COMPANY_FORM]]
Share capital	[[SHARE_CAPITAL]]
Registered office	[[REGISTERED_ADDRESS]], Republic of Cameroon
RCCM (trade register) number	[[RCCM_NUMBER]]
Taxpayer number (NIU)	[[NIU_NUMBER]]
Support	[[SUPPORT_EMAIL]]
Notices	[[LEGAL_EMAIL]]
Trading name	Bizik

This information is published in satisfaction of the identification duties imposed on providers of electronic commerce and on-line services, including under Law No. 2010/021 of 21 December 2010 governing electronic commerce in Cameroon and Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 on cybersecurity and cybercrime.

1.2 Regulatory status

⚠ Important. Our regulatory status is stated at [[LICENCE_STATUS]]. We do not hold ourselves out as a bank, a deposit-taking institution, an insurer or an investment firm, and nothing in the Services is a banking, insurance or investment product.

Where the movement of funds requires the involvement of a licensed institution, that service is provided by [[PARTNER_INSTITUTION]], which is the institution of record for the relevant payment service, and by the mobile-money and banking providers you choose. Your rights against those institutions arise under your agreements with them and under the law applicable to them.

1.3 Supervisory and consumer authorities

Nothing in these Terms prevents you from contacting a competent authority. Depending on the subject matter these may include the Commission Bancaire de l’Afrique Centrale (COBAC), the Banque des États de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC), the Agence Nationale d’Investigation Financière (ANIF), the Agence Nationale des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (ANTIC), the Agence de Régulation des Télécommunications (ART), and the Ministry in charge of commerce and consumer protection.

2. Definitions and interpretation

2.1 Definitions

In these Terms:

Term	Meaning
Account	The account you hold with us on the Platform, identified by your phone number.
Counterparty	The user invited to a Deal by the Creator.
Creator	The user who creates a Deal.
Deal	The transaction created on the Platform between a Payer and a Payee, together with its Milestones.
Dispute	A dispute about a Deal raised under the Dispute Policy.
Dispute Policy	The Bizik Dispute Policy, as published on the Platform and incorporated by section 3.4.
Escrow	Money held by us under section 10.4 pending release or refund.
Handle	The unique identifier assigned to an Account, in the form `@name`.
Incorporated Documents	The documents listed in section 3.4.
Inspection Period	The period, chosen when a Deal is created, during which the Payer may approve, request a revision of, or dispute a delivery (section 10.5).
Milestone	A part of a Deal, funded, delivered, inspected and released independently.
Mobile Money	An electronic money or mobile payment service operated by a licensed provider, including MTN Mobile Money and Orange Money.
Payee	The party to a Deal who delivers and receives payment.
Payer	The party to a Deal who pays money into Escrow.
Platform	The Bizik website, web app, mobile applications, WhatsApp service and related interfaces.
Prohibited Person	As defined in section 9.9.
Services	Everything we provide through the Platform.
Transaction PIN	The personal identification number you set to authorise money actions on the Platform.
Verified	An Account whose identity verification has been approved to the standard tier or above, as described in the AML / KYC Policy.
Wallet	The record of money we hold for you that is not in Escrow.
you, your	The person who holds the Account or uses the Services, and, where you act for a legal person, that legal person.

2.2 Interpretation

Headings are for convenience and do not affect interpretation.
“Including” and “for example” mean “including without limitation”.
A reference to a law includes that law as amended, replaced or re-enacted, and any regulation made under it.
A reference to a “section” is to a section of these Terms unless stated otherwise.
A reference to “writing” includes electronic writing (section 20.1).
Where a period is expressed in days, a day is a calendar day, and the period runs from the time shown in the Platform, in the time zone shown there.
The singular includes the plural and vice versa.

Part B — Terms and Conditions

3. Acceptance and formation of this agreement

3.1 How you accept

You accept these Terms, and a contract is formed between you and us, at the earliest of the following:

you tick or press the control on the Platform indicating that you accept these Terms during registration;
you send a first message to the Bizik WhatsApp number and proceed with onboarding after being shown a link to these Terms;
you otherwise create an Account; or
you use any part of the Services.

If you do not accept these Terms, do not do any of those things.

3.2 Record of acceptance

We keep a record of the date and time at which you accepted these Terms and of the version of the Terms then in force, and we may rely on that record as evidence of your acceptance (section 20.3). You may request a copy of the version you accepted from [[SUPPORT_EMAIL]].

3.3 Acting for a legal person

If you accept these Terms on behalf of a company or other legal person:

you confirm that you are duly authorised to bind it;
“you” in these Terms refers to that legal person, and you personally are also bound by sections 4, 5 and 15 in your own capacity;
we may require evidence of your authority and of the legal person’s existence and ownership before opening or continuing the Account, in accordance with the AML / KYC Policy and [[LEGAL_PERSON_ONBOARDING]].

3.4 Incorporated Documents

The following documents are incorporated into these Terms by reference and form part of your agreement with us:

the Privacy Policy;
the Cookie Policy;
the AML / KYC Policy;
the Dispute Policy;
any fee schedule, limit, rate or Inspection Period published in the Platform at the time of a transaction.

3.5 Order of precedence

Where documents conflict, the following order applies, the earlier prevailing over the later:

these Terms;
the AML / KYC Policy;
the Dispute Policy;
the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, in respect of personal data and cookies;
in-Platform text, menus and messages of the Bizik assistant.

An Incorporated Document prevails over these Terms only where it says expressly that it does.

3.6 The Deal is a separate contract

Accepting these Terms creates a contract between you and us about the Services. Each Deal you enter into on the Platform is a separate contract between you and your counterparty, to which we are not a party (section 8.2 and section 10.1). These Terms govern how we hold and move the money; they do not govern what you and your counterparty owe each other.

3.7 Language of acceptance

These Terms are offered in English and in French. The version in which you contracted governs your relationship with us (section 20.4).

3.8 Re-acceptance

Where we make a materially adverse change to these Terms, section 21 applies and we may require you to accept the new version before continuing to use the Services.

4. Conditions of use

Your right to use the Services is conditional on your continuing compliance with this section.

4.1 General conditions

You may use the Services only:

lawfully — in compliance with the laws of Cameroon, of your country of residence and of any country in which a Deal is performed, and in compliance with section 15;
for their intended purpose — to create and perform genuine Deals, to hold and move your own money, and to use the other functions the Platform offers, and not for any purpose the Platform is not designed for;
on your own behalf, or on behalf of a legal person you are authorised to represent (section 3.3), and never on behalf of, or as a front for, a third party who is not identified to us;
in a market, currency and payment method we then support, as shown in the Platform;
through the interfaces we publish — the web app, the mobile applications and the Bizik WhatsApp number — and not through any automated agent, script or unpublished interface;
subject to the limits, thresholds, fair-use ceilings and holds shown in the Platform or stated in these Terms, and without attempting to evade them;
as an adult with capacity who satisfies the eligibility conditions in section 9.1.

4.2 Information you give us

Everything you tell us — at registration, in verification, in a Deal, in a Dispute, in a support request or to the Bizik assistant — must be true, accurate, current and complete, and you must correct it without delay if it ceases to be so. The name on your Account must be your own legal name as it appears on your identity document (section 9.2).

4.3 Cooperation with verification and compliance

You must, within a reasonable time when asked, provide the information and documents we need to verify your identity, your authority, the source of your funds, the purpose of a transaction and the underlying trade (sections 9.4 and 14.3). Until you do, we may decline to open, or may restrict, the Account and decline to execute the transaction.

4.4 Security conditions

You must keep your password, Transaction PIN, one-time codes and device secure, must not share them with anyone, and must tell us without undue delay if you know or suspect a compromise (section 9.5). You must not enter your Mobile Money PIN anywhere in the Platform or in a Bizik chat; any request to do so is fraudulent.

4.5 Your own equipment and connectivity

You are responsible for the device, software, telephone number, internet connection and Mobile Money or bank account you use to access the Services, for keeping them secure and up-to-date, and for any charges your providers make for them.

4.6 Responsibility for the Account

You are responsible for everything done through your Account, by you or by anyone you have allowed to use it, until you notify us of a compromise under section 9.5. You may not sell, lend, transfer or share your Account, and you may hold only one Account (section 9.7).

4.7 Respect for others

You must treat other users, our staff and our mediators with courtesy. Harassment, threats, defamation and discrimination, in any field of the Platform, are prohibited (section 15.1).

4.8 Compliance with the Platform’s rules

The Platform enforces certain rules mechanically — which side may fund, who may cancel, when automatic release occurs, when a hold applies. Those rules are set out in Parts C–E. Using the Services means accepting that the Platform will apply them as described, and that we will not override them on request except where these Terms or the Dispute Policy provide for it.

4.9 Consequences of breach

Where you fail to satisfy a condition in this section we may exercise any of the remedies in section 15.2 and section 16, in addition to any other right we have.

5. Your representations and warranties

Each time you use the Services, and each time you fund, transfer, release, withdraw or open a Dispute, you represent and warrant to us that:

you are at least 18 years old (or the age of majority where you live, if higher) and have full legal capacity to contract;
you are not a Prohibited Person, you are not acting for one, and, so far as you know, your counterparty is not one;
the information on your Account is true, accurate, current and complete, and the identity documents you have submitted are genuine and yours;
you are the beneficial owner of the money you place with us, or are authorised by the beneficial owner whom you have identified to us, and the money is not the proceeds of crime;
the Deal or transaction has a genuine underlying purpose, is lawful in every relevant country, and does not concern anything listed in section 15.1;
you have not structured the transaction, and are not using more than one Account, to stay below a verification, reporting or approval threshold, or to evade a fee, a limit or a suspension;
the payment instrument, Mobile Money number or bank account you use is yours, or you are expressly authorised to use it;
you hold every licence, permit, registration and authorisation needed to perform your side of a Deal;
the content you submit does not infringe anyone’s rights (section 19.2);
you have read the ⚠ Important clauses of these Terms, in particular sections 10.6 (automatic release), 12.4 (transfers are final), 16.3 (freezing) and 23.3 (arbitration), and understand them; and
you will comply with the tax, exchange-control, customs and reporting obligations that apply to you (section 14.1).

If any representation is or becomes untrue, you must tell us immediately, and section 15.2 and section 16 apply.

6. Our undertakings

We undertake to you that:

we will provide the Services with reasonable skill and care;
we will hold money placed in Escrow in accordance with section 10.4, and will release it only in accordance with these Terms, the Dispute Policy, or an order of a competent court, tribunal or authority;
no money will move on the say-so of the Bizik assistant alone. Every payment, transfer, release, withdrawal and cancellation is proposed to you, must be confirmed by you, and, where a Transaction PIN is enabled, must additionally be authorised with that PIN (section 8.3);
we will show you the fees, the exchange rate where relevant, and the name on the recipient’s Account, before you confirm any transaction (sections 12.4 and 13.1);
we will show the Payer the Inspection Period and the exact date and time of automatic release when a delivery is submitted, and will remind the Payer before it expires (section 10.6);
we will tell you when a withdrawal is placed on hold (section 12.5), when we exercise a right of set-off (section 13.7), and when we suspend or close your Account (section 16), in each case unless the law prohibits us from doing so;
we will keep money we hold for you separate from our own operating funds, as described in section 12.6;
we will handle your personal data as described in the Privacy Policy, and will not ask you for your password, Transaction PIN, Mobile Money PIN or a one-time code;
we will give you at least thirty (30) days’ notice of any materially adverse change to these Terms or the fees (section 21); and
we will investigate, and explain our conclusion on, any record you say is wrong (section 20.3).

These undertakings are subject to section 17 (liability), which limits what you may recover if we fall short of them, and to our rights under sections 15 and 16.

7. Contact and notices

7.1 How to reach us

Purpose	How
General support, account problems, reporting abuse	[[SUPPORT_EMAIL]], the Help Centre, or the support section of the app
Formal legal notices	[[LEGAL_EMAIL]], and by registered post to [[REGISTERED_ADDRESS]]
Privacy requests and data-protection questions	[[DPO_CONTACT]] — see the Privacy Policy
Compliance, AML and sanctions matters	[[COMPLIANCE_OFFICER]]

7.2 How we reach you

We communicate with you through the Platform, by push notification, by email, by SMS and on WhatsApp. Notices we give you are effective when sent to the most recent contact details on your Account. Keep them current.

7.3 Formal notices to us

A notice you give us is effective only when actually received at the address in section 7.1. A message to the Bizik assistant is not a formal legal notice.

Part C — The Service and your account

8. The Service

8.1 What Bizik does

Bizik is a technology platform that lets two people who do not necessarily trust each other transact safely. The core mechanism is Escrow: the person who is paying places the money with Bizik before the other person performs, and Bizik holds it, releasing it to the person being paid only when the agreed conditions are met.

Through the Platform you can:

create a Deal, describing what is to be delivered, by when, for how much, and who pays whom;
invite a counterparty to that Deal by phone number or Bizik Handle;
fund the Deal, or an individual Milestone of it, into Escrow, from your Bizik Wallet or directly from a Mobile Money number;
submit a delivery and have it inspected, approved, revised or disputed;
release the money from Escrow to the Payee;
open a Dispute and have it mediated under the Dispute Policy;
hold a Wallet balance, add money to it, send money to another Bizik user by Handle, and withdraw to Mobile Money or a bank account;
verify your identity so as to unlock the functions that require verification.

Most of these can be done in the app, on the web, or by chatting with the Bizik assistant on WhatsApp. The channel does not change your rights or ours.

8.2 What Bizik is not

⚠ Important. This section defines the limits of what we do. Read it before relying on the Services.

We are not a party to your Deal. The Deal is a contract between you and your counterparty. We are a neutral third party holding the money. We do not buy, sell, supply, inspect, transport, install, guarantee or warrant anything that is the subject of a Deal.
We do not guarantee performance. We do not promise that your counterparty will deliver, that what is delivered will be of any particular quality, that it will be lawful, or that they are who they claim to be beyond the verification we describe in the AML / KYC Policy.
We are not an insurer. Escrow reduces the risk of paying for nothing. It is not insurance and pays no indemnity.
We do not give advice. Nothing on the Platform, and nothing said by the Bizik assistant, is legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice.
We are not a debt collector or a court. We do not enforce judgments, recover debts outside a funded Deal, or compel anyone to perform.
Balances are not deposits. Money held in your Bizik Wallet or in Escrow is held for the purpose of the Services. It is not a bank deposit, it earns no interest, and it is not covered by any deposit-guarantee scheme.

8.3 The Bizik assistant and automated processing

Parts of the Services, in particular on WhatsApp, are delivered by an automated assistant that uses artificial-intelligence models operated by third parties. You should know that:

the assistant can misunderstand you, and can be wrong;
no money moves on the assistant’s say-so. Every payment, transfer, release, withdrawal and cancellation is proposed to you, must be confirmed by you, and where a Transaction PIN is enabled must additionally be authorised with that PIN;
the assistant will decline anything outside the Services;
the content of your messages is processed as described in the Privacy Policy;
we may impose fair-use ceilings on assistant conversations. Where a ceiling is reached, the deterministic commands and menus continue to work.

8.4 Availability and changes to the Services

We aim to keep the Services available but we do not promise uninterrupted availability. We may add, change, restrict or withdraw any feature, market, currency or payment method. Where a change is materially adverse to you, section 21 applies.

We may operate the Platform in maintenance mode. During maintenance you may be unable to transact; money already held in Escrow is unaffected.

9. Your account

9.1 Eligibility

To open an Account you must:

be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority where you live if that is higher;
have full legal capacity to contract;
be acting on your own behalf, or be duly authorised to act for the legal person you name;
not be a Prohibited Person under section 9.9;
be resident in, or transacting into, a country we then serve.

We may refuse to open an Account, and we may close an Account, if any of these ceases to be true. Where signups are closed for a market, the Platform will say so.

9.2 Registration and identity of the account holder

An Account is personal to the person who opens it. Your Account is identified by your phone number; an email address may be added but is optional for end users.

You must give information that is true, accurate, current and complete, and keep it so. The name on your Account must be your own legal name as it appears on your identity document. Where another user invites you to a Deal under a nickname or a reference of their own, that reference does not change your Account name, and your Account name is what will be shown to your counterparties.

Giving false identity information is a serious matter. It may constitute an offence, including under the Penal Code and under the anti-money-laundering rules described in the AML / KYC Policy, and will result in closure of the Account and reporting where we are obliged to report.

9.3 Your Bizik Handle

Each Account is given a unique Handle (for example @maxime.b), generated from your name. Your Handle is how other people send money to you.

Your Handle is a convenience, not property. We grant you a revocable, non-exclusive right to use it while your Account is open.
We may change or reclaim a Handle that infringes a third party’s rights, impersonates a person or organisation, resembles a Bizik or partner name in a way likely to mislead, is offensive, or was obtained abusively.
You are responsible for the Handle you type. A transfer sent to a valid Handle is sent to the holder of that Handle. See section 12.4.

9.4 Verification

Access to certain functions depends on verifying your identity. As at the date of these Terms:

Function	Verified Account required
Receiving money to your Wallet	No
Checking your balance, viewing Deals, sharing your Handle	No
Paying / funding a Deal	No
Creating a Deal	Yes
Sending money to another user	Yes
Withdrawing money	Yes

Submitting documents does not verify you. A person reviews them. We may require re-verification at any time, and we may require enhanced verification before a particular transaction. The process, the standards applied and your rights are set out in the AML / KYC Policy.

9.5 Security of your credentials

You must:

keep your password, Transaction PIN, one-time codes and device secure;
not disclose them to anyone, including anyone claiming to be Bizik staff — we will never ask you for your password, your Bizik PIN, your Mobile Money PIN or a one-time code;
notify us without undue delay at [[SUPPORT_EMAIL]] as soon as you know or suspect that your Account, phone number, PIN or device has been compromised.

You are responsible for everything done through your Account until you notify us. After you notify us, you are not responsible for subsequent unauthorised use, except to the extent you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence.

Your Mobile Money PIN is entered on your own handset with your Mobile Money provider. It is never entered in the Bizik app or in a Bizik chat. Any request to do so is fraudulent.

9.6 The WhatsApp channel

If you use Bizik on WhatsApp:

the WhatsApp number linked to your Account can see and act on your Account, subject to your PIN;
you may lock the channel at any time from the app under Settings → Security → WhatsApp. A locked channel can neither view nor act on your Account;
unlocking is deliberately only possible in the app, so that someone who takes control of your phone number cannot restore access from WhatsApp alone;
repeated incorrect PIN entries lock money actions on the channel;
WhatsApp is operated by a third party under its own terms and privacy policy. Message delivery depends on that third party and on rules we do not control, including its restrictions on messaging you outside a window following your own last message. Where we cannot reach you on WhatsApp we may use SMS or another channel;
you may opt out of the WhatsApp channel entirely.

9.7 One account

You may hold one Account unless we agree otherwise in writing. Creating additional Accounts to evade a limit, a suspension, a fee or verification is a breach of these Terms.

9.8 Account status

Your Account may be in one of the following states, and we may move it between them in accordance with these Terms: pending, active, suspended, frozen (a compliance hold, reversible only by our compliance function), or closed. Section 16 explains what each means and what it does to money you hold.

9.9 Prohibited Persons

You may not open or use an Account if you are a Prohibited Person, meaning a person who is:

designated on a sanctions list applied by the United Nations Security Council, or by any other authority whose measures bind us or our partners;
resident in, or acting for a person resident in, a jurisdiction subject to comprehensive sanctions applicable to us;
barred from receiving financial services under an order binding on us; or
acting for a Prohibited Person.

Part D — Deals and escrow

10. Deals and escrow

10.1 How a Deal is formed

A Deal is created by one user (the Creator) and accepted by the other (the Counterparty). The Creator states what is to be delivered, the amount, the currency, the delivery date, the Inspection Period, the milestone structure if any, and which side pays.

The Deal is formed between the two users when the Counterparty accepts. Bizik is not a party to it. The description entered by the users is the description of what is owed; we do not verify, complete or interpret it, except as evidence in a Dispute.

If the Counterparty declines, or the invitation is withdrawn or expires, no Deal arises.

10.2 Roles: Payer and Payee

Every Deal has a Payer (the party who pays money into Escrow — the buyer or client) and a Payee (the party who delivers and receives payment — the seller or provider). The roles are fixed when the Deal is created and are shown to both parties throughout.

⚠ Important. Only the Payer can fund a Deal, and only the Payer (or a mediator, or the automatic release described in section 10.6) can release money from Escrow. A Payee cannot fund a Deal and cannot release money to themselves. Any attempt to structure a Deal so as to reverse this is a breach of these Terms.

10.3 Funding into Escrow

The Payer funds a Deal, or an individual Milestone, from their Bizik Wallet balance or directly from a Mobile Money number they provide.

Funding is complete only when the funds have actually been received and confirmed. A payment request that has been sent to a phone but not yet approved is not funding.
On funding, the amount plus the Payer service fee (section 13) is taken, and the Milestone amount is placed in Escrow.
We will only charge a Mobile Money number that you have given us in that session. We will not charge a number we have inferred, remembered from elsewhere, or that belongs to your counterparty.
Funding does not oblige us to verify that the Deal is genuine, lawful, or that the counterparty exists as described.

10.4 The legal nature of the Escrow

The money held in Escrow is held by us as a conventional stakeholder (séquestre conventionnel), on the joint instructions of the Payer and the Payee as recorded in the Deal, and, so far as concerns the mechanics of receipt and payment, as their agent (mandataire). Accordingly:

we hold the money for the account of whichever party becomes entitled to it under the Deal;
we do not acquire beneficial ownership of it, and we do not treat it as our own;
we release it only in accordance with these Terms, the Dispute Policy, or an order of a competent court, arbitral tribunal or authority;
we pay no interest on it, and any interest, yield or benefit that may accrue on the account in which pooled client funds are held belongs to us as part of our remuneration, save where the law requires otherwise.

10.5 Delivery, inspection and approval

The Payee submits the delivery through the Platform, with any evidence the Deal requires.
Submission opens the Inspection Period for that Milestone. The Inspection Period is chosen when the Deal is created and is between 3 and 14 days, defaulting to 5 days.
During the Inspection Period the Payer may approve, request a revision (up to the number of revisions agreed for that Milestone) or open a Dispute.
Approval releases the money to the Payee, less the Payee fee (section 13).
A revision request re-opens the Milestone and, when the Payee submits again, a fresh Inspection Period runs.
When the agreed number of revisions is exhausted, the Payer must either approve or open a Dispute.

10.6 Automatic release

⚠ Important — read this clause carefully.

If the Payer does not approve, request a revision, or open a Dispute before the Inspection Period expires, the Milestone is released automatically to the Payee.

This term exists because a Payee who has delivered cannot be left waiting indefinitely. It operates as follows:

the Inspection Period and the exact date and time of automatic release are shown to the Payer when the delivery is submitted, and in the Deal at all times thereafter;
we notify the Payer that a delivery is awaiting them, and we remind them before expiry;
opening a Dispute before expiry suspends automatic release until the Dispute is resolved;
automatic release is a release of the money. It is not a finding that the delivery was satisfactory, and it does not extinguish any claim the Payer may have against the Payee under the Deal or at law. It changes who holds the money, not who is right.

10.7 Milestones

A Deal may be divided into Milestones, each with its own amount, delivery date, Inspection Period and revision allowance. Each Milestone is funded, delivered, inspected, released, disputed and cancelled independently, subject to section 10.8.

10.8 Cancellation

Cancellation follows these rules, which the Platform enforces:

Only the Creator of a Deal may cancel it. A Counterparty who does not wish to proceed declines the invitation, or, once accepted, must reach agreement with the Creator or use the Dispute procedure.
A Deal in which any money has moved cannot be cancelled. If any Milestone of a Deal has been funded, the Deal as a whole can no longer be cancelled.
A funded Milestone cannot be cancelled. Other Milestones of the same Deal that are not funded may still be cancelled individually.
Cancelling the last remaining live Milestone cancels the Deal.
A cancelled Deal or Milestone is retained in your history and cannot be revived. Start a new Deal instead.

Where money has been funded and the parties agree that it should be returned, that is a refund, effected through the Dispute procedure or by the Payer releasing or by mutual instruction, not a cancellation.

10.9 Deals we will not hold

We may refuse to accept, or may unwind, a Deal which on its face concerns anything within section 15, which appears to be a device to move money without an underlying transaction, or which we are prohibited from facilitating. Where we do so we will return the funded amount to the Payer, less any irrecoverable third-party costs, unless we are prohibited from doing so or are required to hold the funds.

11. Disputes about a Deal

Disputes between you and your counterparty about a Deal are governed by the Dispute Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms.

In summary, and without limiting that policy:

Either party may open a Dispute on a Milestone that has been funded and is not yet released.
Opening a Dispute freezes the disputed money in Escrow and suspends automatic release.
The other party has 3 days to respond. A party who does not respond may have the Dispute decided without their input.
Both parties may file evidence.
A Bizik mediator reviews and issues a ruling: full release to the Payee, full refund to the Payer, or a partial split.
The ruling determines where the escrowed money goes. It is a contractual determination of the destination of the funds we hold. It is not a judgment, it does not decide the underlying rights between you, and it does not prevent either of you from pursuing the other in court or in arbitration.

Disputes between you and us are dealt with under section 23, not under the Dispute Policy.

Part E — Money and fees

12. Wallet, transfers, deposits and withdrawals

12.1 Your Wallet

Your Bizik Wallet records money we hold for you that is not in Escrow. It is a record of what we owe you, denominated in the currency shown. Section 8.2(6) applies: it is not a deposit and bears no interest.

12.2 Adding money

You may add money from a Mobile Money number you provide or from another payment method we support. The credit appears when the payment is actually confirmed by the provider, which may not be immediate. A payment request you have not approved on your handset is not a deposit.

12.3 Sending money to another user

A Verified Account may send money from its Wallet balance to another Bizik user, identified by Handle or phone number. The recipient does not need to be Verified to receive.

12.4 Transfers are final

⚠ Important. A transfer under section 12.3 is a direct payment. It is not held in Escrow, it carries no protection, and it cannot be reversed by us once it has been made.

Before you confirm, we show you the name on the recipient’s Account. Check it. The name is the check; the Handle is not.
We will not guess or auto-complete a Handle or a number. If nobody matches what you typed, we tell you, and you must correct it yourself.
If you send money to the wrong person, we will, on request and where lawful, tell you that we have contacted the recipient and asked them to return it. We cannot compel them, we cannot take money back from their Wallet without their consent or a court order, and we cannot disclose their details to you.
If someone deceives you into sending money, that is a crime against you, not a fault of the Services. Report it to the police and to us. We will cooperate with the authorities to the extent the law permits.
If you want protection, use a Deal, not a transfer. That is what Escrow is for. The Platform will say so when the amount or the context suggests you may be about to pay a stranger.

12.5 Withdrawing

Withdrawal requires a Verified Account.
You may withdraw to a payout method registered to your Account. A Mobile Money payout number must be verified by one-time code before it can be used.
The minimum withdrawal is the equivalent of USD 5.
⚠ A withdrawal at or above 500,000 XAF (or its equivalent) is placed on hold for manual review before it is sent. This is a control we are required to operate; it is not a suggestion that anything is wrong. We will tell you it is on hold.
We may decline or delay a withdrawal where we are required to, where the Account is under review, where the payout method is not yours, or where the balance is the subject of a Dispute or a compliance hold.
Express withdrawal, where offered, carries the additional fee in section 13.1.

12.6 Safeguarding of client funds

Money we hold for you — in your Wallet and in Escrow — is held separately from our own operating funds, in one or more accounts with [[SEGREGATED_ACCOUNT_BANK]] designated as client accounts, and is not used to fund our own business.

⚠ Important. The protection that segregation gives you on our insolvency depends on the arrangements in place with the account-holding institution and on the applicable insolvency law. We do not promise that you would recover the whole of your balance in that event, and no deposit-guarantee scheme covers it.

12.7 Inactive accounts and unclaimed balances

If your Account is inactive for [[DORMANCY_PERIOD]] and holds a balance, we will attempt to contact you on the details we hold. Where we cannot return the balance to you, we will deal with it as the applicable law requires, including by paying it to the authority entitled to receive unclaimed funds. We may charge a reasonable administration fee for maintaining a dormant Account, which will not exceed the balance.

12.8 Errors and reversals

If money is credited to you in error, it is not yours. Tell us, and we may reverse it. If a payment into your Account is later reversed, charged back or found to be fraudulent, we may debit your balance by the same amount and, if the balance is insufficient, recover the shortfall from you.

13. Fees

13.1 Published fees

Fees are shown to you before you confirm any transaction, in the currency of that transaction. The figures below are the standard rates at the date of these Terms. The rates in force at the time of your transaction, as displayed to you, are the rates that apply.

Fee	Rate	When it is charged	Who bears it
Service fee on funding	3.5% of the Milestone amount	When the Payer funds a Milestone into Escrow	Payer, in addition to the Milestone amount
Service fee on release	2.5% of the Milestone amount	When the Milestone is released	Payee, deducted from the amount received
Express withdrawal	+1.5% of the amount	Only if you choose an express withdrawal	The user withdrawing
Currency conversion margin	+0.5% over our reference rate	On any conversion between currencies	The user converting
Minimum withdrawal	USD 5 equivalent	—	—

13.2 Worked example

On a Deal of 100,000 XAF where you are the Payer:

you pay 103,500 XAF (100,000 + 3.5%);
100,000 XAF is held in Escrow;
on release, the Payee receives 97,500 XAF (100,000 − 2.5%);
Bizik’s total remuneration is 6,000 XAF.

Both figures are shown to both parties before confirmation, and appear on the record of the Deal that either party can download.

13.3 Third-party charges

Your Mobile Money provider, your bank, or an intermediary may charge you separately for a payment in or out. Those charges are not ours, we do not receive them, and we cannot waive them. Where we are able to display an estimate we will, but the amount your provider actually deducts is a matter between you and them.

13.4 Exchange rates

Where a conversion is needed, we apply our reference rate for the pair plus the margin in section 13.1. Our reference rate is derived from market data and is set by us; it will not always match a rate you find elsewhere. The applicable rate is shown before you confirm.

Where you and your counterparty have different home currencies, amounts may be displayed to each of you in your own currency for information. The Deal currency is the currency in which the obligation is owed, and is the currency that governs.

13.5 Changes to fees

We may change fees. Section 21 governs how. A change never applies retrospectively to a Milestone already funded.

13.6 Taxes

⚠ Important.

Our fees are stated exclusive of value added tax and any other indirect tax, which we will add where we are required to charge it. VAT in Cameroon is currently levied at 19.25% (including the additional council tax).
Payments made by electronic means, including Mobile Money, may attract an excise duty (currently 0.2% on qualifying electronic transfers in Cameroon). Where a duty applies to a movement of your money, it is borne by you and may be deducted by us or by the payment provider.
You are responsible for your own taxes. We do not withhold income tax, do not assess your liability, do not file on your behalf, and do not issue tax certificates beyond the transaction records available in the Platform. Income you earn through a Deal is likely to be taxable where you are resident, and it is your responsibility to declare and pay it.
We may be required to report information about you or your transactions to tax or other authorities, and will do so where required.

13.7 Set-off

We may set off against any balance you hold with us any amount you owe us, including fees, reversed payments, chargebacks, amounts credited to you in error, and amounts we have paid to a third party because of your act or default. We will tell you when we do.

14. Taxes, exchange control and sanctions

14.1 Your compliance

You are responsible for complying with the law that applies to you, including tax, exchange control, customs, licensing and reporting obligations. Using the Services does not discharge any of them.

14.2 Sanctions

You represent, each time you transact, that you are not a Prohibited Person, that your counterparty is not one so far as you know, and that the transaction does not breach any sanctions measure binding on us. We screen Accounts and transactions as described in the AML / KYC Policy, and we will block, freeze or report where we are required to.

14.3 Information we may require

We may require, at any time, information and documents about you, your counterparty, the source of funds, the source of wealth, the purpose of a transaction and the underlying trade. Where you do not provide them within a reasonable time, we may suspend the Account and decline to execute the transaction.

14.4 Cross-border transactions

⚠ Important. Transfers of funds into and out of the CEMAC zone are subject to exchange control, including under CEMAC Regulation No. 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM of 21 December 2018. Certain cross-border transactions require documentation, declaration or prior authorisation, and some are prohibited. We may decline, delay or unwind a transaction, or require documentary evidence of its underlying purpose, in order to comply. Where a currency is not convertible or a corridor is not open to us, we cannot execute the transaction however the Platform displays it.

Part F — Conduct and compliance

15. Prohibited use

15.1 Prohibited transactions and conduct

You must not use the Services in connection with, and must not create a Deal concerning:

Unlawful activity

anything unlawful under the laws of Cameroon, of your country of residence, or of the country where performance takes place;
money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, or the handling of the proceeds of crime;
fraud, deception, forgery, identity theft, phishing, or any confidence trick;
corruption, bribery, or facilitation payments;
tax evasion or facilitating it;
evading sanctions, exchange control, or customs duty.

Prohibited subject matter

narcotics and controlled substances; unlicensed pharmaceuticals;
weapons, ammunition, explosives, and their components;
human beings, human trafficking, forced labour, sexual services, and any sexual material involving minors or non-consenting persons;
protected wildlife, ivory, and specimens whose trade is restricted;
stolen goods, counterfeits, and goods that infringe intellectual-property rights;
unlicensed gambling, betting, lotteries and games of chance;
pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes, matrix schemes, chain letters, “money doubling”, HYIP and similar arrangements;
unlicensed collective investment, deposit-taking or lending; unlicensed currency exchange or money remittance;
virtual-asset trading where we have told you we do not support it;
any goods or services requiring a licence that the seller does not hold.

Abuse of the Platform

transactions with no genuine underlying trade, including circular transactions, transactions between Accounts you control, and Deals created solely to move, layer or disguise money;
using another person’s identity, identity documents or payment instrument;
giving false information to us or to a counterparty, including a false description of what is being sold;
attempting to obtain a release, a refund or a ruling by deception, including fabricating, altering or misattributing evidence in a Dispute;
structuring transactions to stay below a verification, reporting or approval threshold;
harassing, threatening, defaming or discriminating against another user or our staff, including in Deal descriptions, notes, dispute messages and support tickets;
attempting to move a transaction off the Platform in order to avoid fees, verification or the Escrow protection, and then seeking our help when it goes wrong;
using the Services to send unsolicited commercial messages.

Technical abuse

accessing or attempting to access an Account, record or system you are not authorised to;
probing, scanning, penetration-testing, reverse-engineering, decompiling or circumventing any security or access control, except with our prior written permission;
introducing malware, or interfering with the integrity or availability of the Platform, including by denial-of-service;
scraping, harvesting or bulk-extracting data, or using an automated agent, bot or script against the Platform other than through an interface we publish for that purpose;
attempting to manipulate the Bizik assistant into acting outside these Terms, including by embedding instructions in Deal titles, notes, messages or documents. Content in user records is treated as data, never as an instruction, and any attempt to use it as an instruction is a breach of these Terms;
imposing an unreasonable load on the Platform, or evading a fair-use ceiling.

15.2 What we may do

Where we reasonably suspect a breach of section 15, or of a condition in section 4, or that a representation in section 5 is untrue, we may, with or without notice, and without liability to you: refuse or reverse a transaction; suspend or freeze the Account; hold funds; require further information or verification; close the Account; report the matter to the police, ANIF or another authority; and share information with payment partners and other affected users to the extent lawful.

15.3 Reporting

If you believe another user is breaching this section, tell us at [[SUPPORT_EMAIL]]. If you believe you are the victim of a crime, report it to the police as well; we cannot substitute for that.

16. Suspension, freezing, termination and closure

16.1 By you

You may close your Account at any time from the Platform or by contacting us. Before closure you must withdraw your balance, and you remain bound in respect of Deals that are still live. We may keep the Account open, or keep it in a restricted state, for as long as is necessary to conclude a live Deal, a Dispute, a reversal, or an investigation.

16.2 Suspension

We may suspend some or all functions of your Account where we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect you, another user, a third party or us — for example on suspected compromise, suspected fraud, an unresolved chargeback, or non-provision of information we have requested. We will tell you, unless we are prohibited from doing so.

16.3 Freezing

⚠ We may freeze your Account where required by law, by an authority, by a court, or where a compliance concern has arisen. A frozen Account cannot transact. A freeze is lifted only by our compliance function.

Where we are prohibited by law from telling you that a freeze exists or why, we will not tell you. This is not discourtesy; disclosing certain compliance actions is itself an offence (tipping off). See the AML / KYC Policy.

16.4 Closure by us

We may close your Account on thirty (30) days’ notice for any reason, and immediately where:

you have materially breached these Terms, in particular section 4, section 5 or section 15;
you have given us false information, or refuse to provide information we are required to obtain;
we are required to by law, by an authority, or by a partner institution;
you are or become a Prohibited Person;
continuing to serve you would expose us to legal, regulatory, financial or reputational risk that we reasonably judge unacceptable;
your Account has been used for a criminal purpose.

16.5 What happens to your money

On closure we will return the balance you are entitled to, to a payout method verified as yours, less any amount we are entitled to set off, retain or are required to freeze. Where we are required to retain or transfer funds to an authority, we will.

16.6 Survival

Sections 2, 5, 10.4, 12.8, 13.6, 13.7, 14, 15, 16.5, 16.6, 17, 19, 20, 23 and 24 survive termination, together with any other provision that by its nature is intended to survive.

Part G — Liability, rights and records

17. Liability

⚠ Important. This section limits what you can recover from us. It does not exclude anything that cannot lawfully be excluded.

17.1 What we do not exclude

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for:

death or personal injury caused by our negligence;
our own fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
our wilful misconduct or gross negligence (faute lourde, dol);
any liability which the applicable law does not permit us to exclude or limit, including rights you have as a consumer under Law No. 2011/012 of 6 May 2011 on consumer protection.

17.2 What we are responsible for

We are responsible for providing the Services with reasonable skill and care, and for holding escrowed funds and releasing them in accordance with these Terms.

Where we release money to the wrong party as a result of our own error, our responsibility is to correct the position, and, if it cannot be corrected, to make good the amount wrongly released.

17.3 What we are not responsible for

Subject to section 17.1, we are not liable for:

the performance of your counterparty — whether they deliver, what they deliver, its quality, legality, safety, fitness or timeliness, or whether they are solvent, honest or contactable;
your own decisions, including the counterparty you choose, the price you agree, the description you write, the Handle or phone number you type, and your decision to approve, to release, or to let an Inspection Period expire;
loss arising from your failure to act within a period stated in these Terms or in the Platform, including automatic release under section 10.6;
the acts, omissions, outages, charges or rules of third parties, including Mobile Money operators, banks, payment aggregators, WhatsApp and other messaging providers, identity and analytics providers, and internet and electricity suppliers;
compromise of your credentials, phone number or device, including SIM-swap, where it was not caused by our breach;
content created by users, including Deal descriptions, notes, delivery submissions and dispute evidence;
loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of business, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill, loss of anticipated savings, or any indirect or consequential loss, however arising;
loss arising from a suspension, freeze or closure that we were entitled to impose under these Terms or were required to impose by law.

17.4 Cap on our liability

Subject to section 17.1, our total liability to you:

in relation to a particular Deal, is limited to the amount held by us in Escrow for that Deal at the time the event giving rise to the claim occurred; and
in relation to everything else, in any period of twelve months, is limited to the greater of (a) the total fees we charged you in that period and (b) [[LIABILITY_FLOOR]].

17.5 Your responsibility to us

You will compensate us for loss, damage, cost, expense and liability (including reasonable legal costs and the cost of responding to a regulator, a court or a payment partner) that we suffer as a result of:

your breach of these Terms, including a breach of a condition in section 4 or a representation in section 5 being untrue;
your breach of any law in connection with your use of the Services;
a claim by a third party, including your counterparty, arising out of your acts or omissions;
a payment instrument used on your Account being reported as unauthorised or fraudulent.

This does not apply to the extent the loss was caused by our own breach, negligence or wilful misconduct.

17.6 Time limit for bringing a claim

You must notify us of any claim arising out of these Terms within twelve months of the date on which you first knew, or ought reasonably to have known, of the facts giving rise to it, failing which the claim is waived to the extent the law permits waiver. This does not shorten any limitation period that the law fixes and does not permit to be shortened.

18. Your rights as a consumer

If you use the Services otherwise than in the course of a business, you may have rights under Law No. 2011/012 of 6 May 2011 on consumer protection and under other applicable consumer law, including rights to information, to protection against unfair terms, and to a remedy where a service is not supplied as described.

Nothing in these Terms removes or limits those rights. Where a clause of these Terms conflicts with a mandatory consumer protection, the protection prevails and the rest of the clause continues to apply.

Note in particular that a Deal is a contract with your counterparty, not with us. Your consumer rights against a seller are exercised against that seller. What we provide is the Escrow and the Platform.

19. Intellectual property

19.1 Ours

The Platform, its software, design, text, graphics, the Bizik name and logo, and all intellectual-property rights in them, belong to us or our licensors. We grant you a personal, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Platform for its intended purpose while your Account is open. You acquire no other rights.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, licence, create derivative works from, or attempt to extract the source code of any part of the Platform, except to the extent the law expressly permits it notwithstanding this restriction.

19.2 Yours

You keep the rights in the content you submit — Deal descriptions, delivery files, evidence, messages. You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, copy, transmit, display and process that content to the extent necessary to provide the Services, to resolve Disputes, to comply with the law, and to defend a claim. That licence lasts as long as we are required to retain the content and no longer.

You confirm that you have the rights necessary to submit the content and that it does not infringe anyone else’s rights.

19.3 Rights of others

If you believe content on the Platform infringes your rights, tell us at [[LEGAL_EMAIL]] with enough detail to identify the content and your right. We will act on well-founded notices, including by removing content and by acting against repeat infringers.

19.4 Feedback

If you send us suggestions about the Services, we may use them without obligation or payment.

20. Electronic contracting, records and evidence

20.1 Electronic form

You agree that this agreement and every Deal may be concluded electronically, and that we may communicate with you electronically. Electronic writings satisfy any requirement of writing between us.

20.2 Electronic signature and authentication

Your confirmation of an action in the Platform, and where required your entry of your Transaction PIN or a one-time code, constitutes your electronic signature of that instruction and is evidence of your consent to it, in accordance with the provisions on electronic signatures and electronic evidence in Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 and Law No. 2010/021 of 21 December 2010.

20.3 Our records are the primary evidence

⚠ Our records — the transaction ledger, the audit log, the Deal history, the message log, the record of your acceptance of these Terms, and the timestamps in them — are the primary evidence of what happened, and are admissible as such.

This does not prevent you from proving the contrary. If you say a record is wrong, tell us and give your reasons, and we will investigate and explain our conclusion.

20.4 Language

These Terms are published in English and in French. [[LANGUAGE_PRECEDENCE]] Where you contracted in one language, that version governs your relationship with us.

20.5 Records you can obtain

You can download a record of any Deal you are party to, and your transaction history, from the Platform. Keep your own copies; our retention periods are set out in the Privacy Policy.

Part H — Legal

21. Changes to these Terms

We may change these Terms, the fees and the Services.
For a change that is not materially adverse to you — corrections, clarifications, new optional features — the change takes effect when we publish it.
For a change that is materially adverse to you, including an increase in fees or a reduction in your rights, we will give you at least thirty (30) days’ notice by a durable means before it takes effect.
If you do not accept a material change, you may close your Account before it takes effect, without charge, and withdraw your balance. Continuing to use the Services after it takes effect is acceptance, and we may in addition require you to accept the new version expressly (section 3.8).
A change never applies retrospectively to a Milestone already funded or a Dispute already opened.
We may make a change immediately where it is required by law or by an authority, or is necessary to address a security risk. We will tell you as soon as we can.

22. Force majeure

We are not liable for failure or delay in performing our obligations where it is caused by an event beyond our reasonable control, including: act of God; flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster; epidemic or pandemic; war, armed conflict, terrorist attack, civil unrest or insurrection; act of government, regulator, court or authority, or change in law; failure of electricity, telecommunications, internet or a payment network; failure of a Mobile Money operator, bank, aggregator or messaging provider; strike or industrial action; and cyber-attack not caused by our failure to take reasonable security measures.

If the event continues for more than thirty (30) days, either of us may terminate this agreement on notice, and section 16.5 applies to your money.

23. Governing law and resolution of disputes between you and us

23.1 Governing law

These Terms, and any non-contractual obligation arising out of them, are governed by the law of the Republic of Cameroon, including the Uniform Acts of OHADA as they apply in Cameroon.

23.2 Talk to us first

Before commencing proceedings, you agree to raise the matter with us at [[LEGAL_EMAIL]] and to allow us thirty (30) days to try to resolve it. This does not prevent either of us from seeking urgent interim relief from a court.

23.3 Arbitration

⚠ Important. Except as set out in section 23.4, any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, including as to their existence, validity or termination, that is not resolved under section 23.2 shall be finally settled by arbitration under [[ARBITRATION_RULES]], by [[ARBITRATOR_NUMBER]] arbitrator(s), seated in [[ARBITRATION_SEAT]], conducted in [[ARBITRATION_LANGUAGE]].

The arbitration is confidential. The award is final and binding and may be enforced in any competent court.

Claims are brought individually. There is no class, collective or representative arbitration, and the arbitrator may not consolidate the claims of different users without the consent of all of them and of us.

23.4 Exceptions

Section 23.3 does not apply to:

an application for urgent or interim relief, which either of us may make to a competent court;
a claim in respect of intellectual property;
a small claim which the applicable law allows you to bring in a small-claims or consumer forum;
any matter which the applicable law does not permit to be referred to arbitration, or any right of a consumer to bring proceedings in the courts of their place of residence where the law gives them that right notwithstanding an arbitration agreement.

Where section 23.3 does not apply, the courts of [[COURT_VENUE]], Republic of Cameroon, have jurisdiction, without prejudice to any mandatory jurisdiction in your favour.

23.5 Disputes with your counterparty

Section 23 governs disputes between you and us. A dispute about a Deal is dealt with under the Dispute Policy, and, so far as concerns your rights against your counterparty, under whatever law and forum govern the contract between the two of you. We are not a party to it and our mediator’s ruling does not bind a court.

24. General

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms. We may assign or transfer ours, including to a group company or to a purchaser of our business, provided your rights are not materially prejudiced.
Severability. If a provision is held invalid or unenforceable, it is severed to the minimum extent necessary and the rest continues in force. Where possible the provision is read down so as to be enforceable and to preserve its purpose.
No waiver. A failure or delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver of it.
Entire agreement. These Terms and the Incorporated Documents are the whole agreement between us about the Services, and replace anything said or written before. This does not exclude liability for fraudulent misrepresentation.
No partnership. Nothing creates a partnership, joint venture, employment or agency between us, except the limited agency described in section 10.4.
Third parties. No one other than you and us has any right to enforce these Terms.
Interpretation. Section 2.2 applies.
Order of precedence. Section 3.5 applies.

[[COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME]] — RCCM [[RCCM_NUMBER]] — [[REGISTERED_ADDRESS]], Republic of Cameroon.