This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) describes businesses and activities that are not permitted on the Clearfin payments platform. It applies to all merchants, applicants, integrators, and users of our APIs, dashboards, and websites. We adopt this policy to comply with the operating rules of Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover; with applicable U.S. and state law; and with the requirements of our acquiring and processing partners.
We may update this AUP from time to time. Continued use of the services after a change constitutes acceptance. We may suspend, hold funds, or terminate any account that violates this AUP, with or without notice, consistent with our Terms of Service.
Prohibited businesses and activities
The following are not permitted on the platform:
Adult and sexual content
- Pornography, escort services, or other adult-oriented goods or services.
- Sexually oriented online dating where payments are tied to messaging or matches.
Gambling and games of chance
- Real-money gambling, sports betting, online casinos, fantasy contests with prizes, lotteries, or sweepstakes operating without proper licensing.
Controlled substances and prohibited products
- Illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and synthetic cannabinoids.
- Cannabis (THC) products, regardless of state legalization, except where permitted through licensed and supported processing rails (not currently supported on this platform).
- Tobacco, e-cigarettes, vaping products, and nicotine pouches.
- Firearms, ammunition, and weapons of any kind.
- Prescription pharmaceuticals or controlled substances sold without proper licensing, medical evaluation, or compliance with state and federal law.
Financial and investment activities
- Multi-level marketing, pyramid schemes, matrix programs, and any recruitment-incentivized commerce model.
- Get-rich-quick schemes, “guaranteed return” offers, and unregistered investment opportunities.
- Unregistered securities, ICOs, or token offerings.
- Debt collection, debt-elimination, and credit-repair services.
- Cryptocurrency exchanges, mixers, and unhosted-wallet sales.
- Cash-equivalent businesses including check cashing, money transmission, currency exchange, prepaid-card sales, and unauthorized money services.
Deceptive marketing and consumer harm
- Negative-option subscriptions or hidden recurring charges that fail to disclose the terms before purchase.
- Deceptive advertising, including bait-and-switch, false-scarcity, manipulated testimonials, or unsubstantiated health, weight-loss, or income claims.
- Telemarketing or outbound calling that does not comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Do-Not-Call regulations, and state telemarketing laws.
- Unsolicited bulk commercial email that violates CAN-SPAM or equivalent law.
Intellectual-property infringement and counterfeit goods
- Sale of counterfeit, replica, or unauthorized branded merchandise.
- Unlicensed sale of copyrighted material, including pirated software, media, e-books, and streaming content.
Hate, violence, and extremism
- Goods or services promoting hate, violence, or discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin.
- Sale of materials supporting designated terrorist or extremist organizations.
Network and acquirer restrictions
- Any business listed on Visa BRAM (Brand Risk and Anti-Money-Laundering), Mastercard BAU (Business Risk Assessment and Mitigation), or equivalent restricted-business programs.
- Any business operating in a category for which our acquiring or processing partners have not provided processing support.
- Aggregation, factoring, or processing payments on behalf of an unrelated party.
Other prohibited activities
- Illegal activity of any kind under U.S. federal or applicable state law.
- Violations of U.S. export control or sanctions law, including transactions involving jurisdictions or persons subject to OFAC sanctions.
- Activities likely to attract excessive disputes or that we identify as high-risk fraud.
- Use of the platform to transmit malware, run denial-of-service attacks, or otherwise harm the security or integrity of our infrastructure or third-party systems.
Reporting violations
If you believe a merchant on the platform is violating this AUP, please report it at info@clearfin.dev. Reports are reviewed by our compliance team and, where warranted, escalated for action.
Enforcement
We investigate suspected violations and take action consistent with our risk and compliance program, the operating rules of the card networks, and applicable law. Action may include warnings, increased monitoring, reserves, payout holds, account suspension, or termination, and may be reported to acquirers, networks, or authorities where appropriate.