Last Updated: September 7, 2025

This Cookie Policy explains how Finauthority (“Finauthority”, “we”, “us” or “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit or interact with Finauthority.org and related services operated by us.

This Policy explains:

• what cookies are;
• why we use them;
• what types of cookies may be used;
• which cookies require your consent;
• how third parties may use similar technologies;
• how long cookies may remain on your device;
• how you can manage or withdraw your preferences; and
• how to contact us about the use of cookies.

This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains more broadly how Finauthority processes personal data.

1. About Finauthority

Finauthority is an independent financial company directory, research and review platform.

The Platform allows users to research financial companies and brands, regulatory information, licenses, financial authorities, reviews, user experiences and other relevant information.

Finauthority is operated by:

Legal entity: FinAuthority

Registered office: Národní 135/14, Prague, Hlavní mesto Praha 110 00, Czech Republic

Country of registration: Czech Republic

General enquiries: kancelar@finauthority.org

Privacy enquiries: privacy@finauthority.org

Legal enquiries: legal@finauthority.org

Company Review & Verification: check@finauthority.org

Finauthority is operated from the Czech Republic but is intended for users and financial companies worldwide.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files or pieces of information that may be stored on your computer, smartphone, tablet or other device when you visit a website.

Cookies allow websites to recognize a device or browser, remember certain information and support various technical and functional features.

Depending on their purpose, cookies may be used to:

• keep a user logged in;
• protect accounts and forms;
• remember preferences;
• maintain a session;
• detect security threats;
• understand how a website is used;
• measure website performance;
• personalize content;
• measure advertising effectiveness; or
• support third-party functionality.

A cookie does not necessarily identify you by name.

However, information stored or collected through cookies may constitute personal data where it relates to an identified or identifiable person or can be combined with other information to identify that person.

3. Similar Technologies

This Policy applies not only to traditional browser cookies but also, where applicable, to similar technologies that store information on or access information from your device.

These technologies may include:

• local storage;
• session storage;
• pixels;
• tracking pixels;
• web beacons;
• tags;
• scripts;
• device identifiers;
• software development kits;
• browser storage;
• embedded technologies; and
• similar mechanisms.

References to “cookies” in this Policy generally include these technologies where relevant.

4. Legal Framework

Because Finauthority is operated from the Czech Republic, our use of cookies is primarily governed by applicable Czech and European Union law, including:

• Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”);
• Directive 2002/58/EC concerning privacy and electronic communications, as amended;
• Act No. 127/2005 Coll. on Electronic Communications of the Czech Republic, as amended; and
• other applicable privacy and electronic communications legislation.

Certain cookies or similar technologies that are strictly necessary to provide a service requested by the user or to ensure essential technical operation may be used without consent where permitted by law.

Non-essential cookies are activated only where an appropriate legal basis and, where required, valid prior consent exist.

5. Our Approach to Cookie Consent

Finauthority aims to provide users with meaningful control over non-essential cookies.

Where consent is required, we apply an opt-in approach.

This means that non-essential cookies should remain disabled unless and until you actively consent to their use.

We do not treat the following as valid consent:

• simply visiting the website;
• continuing to browse;
• scrolling;
• inactivity;
• closing the cookie banner;
• pre-selected optional settings; or
• silence.

Where our cookie banner is displayed, users should be able to choose between:

Accept All

Reject Non-Essential

Manage Preferences

Rejecting non-essential cookies should not prevent you from accessing ordinary public content on Finauthority, although some optional functionality may not work.

The option to reject non-essential cookies should be presented in a manner that is reasonably as easy and accessible as the option to accept them.

6. Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly necessary cookies are required for the Platform to operate properly or securely.

They may be used without optional consent where permitted by applicable law.

These cookies may be necessary for purposes such as:

• maintaining website sessions;
• logging users into accounts;
• remembering essential authentication information;
• protecting account security;
• preventing fraudulent activity;
• preventing cross-site request forgery;
• protecting forms;
• distributing website traffic;
• maintaining server stability;
• remembering privacy choices;
• processing user requests; and
• providing functionality explicitly requested by the user.

Because these cookies are necessary to provide the relevant service, they generally cannot be disabled through our cookie preference tool.

You may nevertheless be able to block them through your browser.

Doing so may cause parts of Finauthority to stop functioning correctly.

7. Cookie Consent Preference Cookies

We may use strictly necessary cookies or similar technologies to remember choices you have made regarding cookies.

For example, we may store information indicating whether you:

• accepted optional cookies;
• rejected optional cookies;
• selected particular categories;
• withdrew consent; or
• previously interacted with our cookie preference tool.

These records help us respect your privacy choices and avoid repeatedly asking you to make the same decision unnecessarily.

Where legally appropriate, we may also retain limited records demonstrating that consent was given or withdrawn.

8. Functional and Preference Cookies

Functional cookies help provide enhanced features or remember optional preferences.

They may, for example, remember:

• language;
• display preferences;
• region;
• preferred settings;
• interface choices; or
• certain customization options.

Some functional cookies may be strictly necessary for a feature expressly requested by the user.

Others may be optional and therefore activated only after consent where required by law.

Disabling optional functional cookies may result in reduced personalization but should not prevent access to the core public content of Finauthority.

9. Analytics and Performance Cookies

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use Finauthority.

Where implemented, they may collect information such as:

• pages visited;
• page views;
• session duration;
• navigation paths;
• referring pages;
• general interaction patterns;
• device type;
• browser type;
• approximate geographic region;
• errors encountered;
• loading performance; and
• general website usage statistics.

This information can help us understand:

• which financial company profiles are most useful;
• which regulatory resources users access;
• how users navigate the Platform;
• which pages require improvement;
• whether technical problems exist; and
• how Finauthority can improve usability and performance.

Where consent is legally required for storing or accessing analytics cookies, these cookies will remain disabled until consent is provided.

10. First-Party Analytics

Finauthority may use analytics systems operated directly by us or configured primarily for our own website measurement.

Where such analytics require the use of non-essential cookies or similar device storage, appropriate consent will be requested where required.

The fact that analytics data is used only by Finauthority does not automatically make the underlying cookie strictly necessary.

11. Advertising and Marketing Cookies

Finauthority may use advertising or marketing technologies where such features are introduced on the Platform.

These technologies may be used to:

• measure advertising performance;
• limit repeated advertising;
• understand referral sources;
• measure campaigns;
• support affiliate attribution;
• personalize advertising where permitted; or
• understand whether users interacted with promotional content.

Advertising and marketing cookies are not necessary for the basic functioning of Finauthority.

Where consent is required, these cookies will remain disabled until you actively choose to accept them.

Commercial relationships do not affect Finauthority’s independent regulatory classifications, editorial conclusions, ratings or review-moderation decisions.

12. Affiliate Tracking

Finauthority may participate in affiliate programs as part of its commercial activities.

An affiliate relationship generally means that we may receive compensation when a user follows a clearly identified link and completes a qualifying action with a third party.

Affiliate attribution may sometimes involve cookies or similar technologies.

Where such technologies require consent under applicable law, they will not be activated before appropriate consent is obtained.

Affiliate relationships do not determine which financial companies receive favorable regulatory assessments or editorial conclusions.

Additional information about commercial relationships is provided in our Advertising, Affiliate and Conflict of Interest Disclosure.

13. Embedded Content and Third-Party Features

Certain Finauthority pages may include content or functionality supplied by third parties.

Examples may include:

• videos;
• maps;
• social media content;
• charts;
• external review tools;
• security systems;
• customer support tools;
• interactive widgets; or
• other embedded services.

When activated, these third parties may place or access cookies or collect information from your device.

Where such functionality is non-essential and requires consent, we may prevent it from loading until the relevant consent is given.

Users who reject optional cookies may therefore see a placeholder or reduced functionality instead of certain embedded content.

14. Social Media Technologies

If Finauthority uses social-media sharing buttons, embedded posts or similar functionality, the relevant social network may receive information when its functionality is loaded or used.

Depending on the implementation, this could include:

• IP address;
• device information;
• page visited;
• browser information; or
• interactions with the embedded service.

Where consent is legally required before these technologies are activated, they will remain blocked until appropriate consent is provided.

Links that simply direct users to an external social-media website and do not themselves cause third-party tracking to load are treated differently from embedded third-party technologies.

15. Security and Fraud Prevention Technologies

We may use cookies or similar technologies to protect Finauthority, our users and company profiles against abuse.

These technologies may assist with:

• account security;
• bot detection;
• spam prevention;
• malicious traffic detection;
• unauthorized login detection;
• session integrity;
• review manipulation detection;
• rate limiting;
• denial-of-service protection; and
• fraud prevention.

Where a particular technology is strictly necessary to protect the service or provide functionality requested by the user, it may be used without optional consent where legally permitted.

16. Cookies Used for User Accounts

Registered users may require additional cookies to use account functionality.

These may support:

• authentication;
• session management;
• login persistence;
• security controls;
• account preferences; and
• profile management.

Without some of these cookies, users may be unable to remain logged in or access account features.

17. Cookies Used for Company Profiles

Representatives who create or claim financial company profiles may interact with authenticated areas of Finauthority.

Necessary cookies may be used to:

• authenticate the company representative;
• maintain their session;
• protect submission forms;
• prevent unauthorized profile changes;
• remember permitted settings; and
• support company profile management.

Verification that someone is an authorized company representative is separate from any regulatory assessment of the financial company.

18. Review Submission and Anti-Abuse Technologies

When users submit reviews, ratings or supporting information, Finauthority may use technical information to protect the integrity of the review system.

This may include technology designed to identify:

• spam;
• repeated submissions;
• automated submissions;
• unusual activity;
• multiple-account abuse;
• suspicious review patterns; or
• attempts to manipulate ratings.

Such systems may process technical identifiers where reasonably necessary for Platform security and integrity.

Use of such information does not mean that an automated signal alone proves that a review is fraudulent.

19. First-Party Cookies

First-party cookies are cookies set directly by Finauthority.org or by technology acting on behalf of Finauthority.

These may include cookies used for:

• authentication;
• security;
• preferences;
• consent management; and
• other Platform functionality.

20. Third-Party Cookies

Third-party cookies are set or accessed by organizations other than Finauthority.

Depending on the services implemented on the Platform, these may include providers of:

• analytics;
• advertising;
• embedded content;
• security;
• payments;
• customer support;
• video hosting;
• maps; or
• other external technologies.

Third-party providers may act as our processors, independent controllers or joint controllers depending on the specific circumstances.

Where required, information about relevant third parties, purposes and cookie lifetimes will be made available through this Cookie Policy, our Privacy Policy or the Cookie Settings interface.

21. Session Cookies

Some cookies exist only for the duration of your browser session.

These are known as session cookies.

They are generally deleted when you close your browser, although precise behavior may depend on your browser and device configuration.

Session cookies may be used for technical functionality such as maintaining a secure authenticated session.

22. Persistent Cookies

Persistent cookies remain on your device after your browser session ends until:

• they reach their expiration date;
• you delete them;
• your browser removes them; or
• they are otherwise replaced or invalidated.

Persistent cookies may be used, for example, to remember preferences or consent choices.

Their duration depends on their purpose.

We seek to avoid setting cookies for longer than reasonably necessary.

23. Cookie Duration

The duration of individual cookies varies depending on their purpose.

They may last:

• only for the current session;
• several minutes or hours;
• several days;
• several months; or
• another limited period appropriate to the relevant purpose.

Finauthority does not intend to use cookies for periods that are disproportionate to the purpose for which they are set.

Where technically available, the current lifetime or expiration period of individual cookies is identified through the Cookie Settings interface or associated cookie information made available on Finauthority.org.

24. Current Cookie Inventory

Finauthority maintains information about cookies and similar technologies actually deployed on the production version of the Platform.

Because the specific technologies used by a website may change as security, analytics, account-management and infrastructure systems are updated, the active cookie inventory may be provided dynamically through our Cookie Settings interface.

For cookies and similar technologies currently in use, the available information should identify, where applicable:

• cookie or technology name;
• provider;
• purpose;
• category;
• whether it is first-party or third-party;
• session or persistent status;
• applicable lifetime or expiration period; and
• whether consent is required.

Cookies may generally be classified into the following categories:

Strictly Necessary

Used for essential functionality, authentication, security, consent management and Platform operation.

Functional

Used to provide optional features or remember user preferences.

Analytics and Performance

Used to understand Platform usage and improve performance.

Advertising and Marketing

Used, where implemented and consented to, for advertising measurement, marketing or affiliate attribution.

Other Third-Party Technologies

Used for optional embedded services or external functionality where relevant.

The active inventory should be updated when technologies used by Finauthority materially change.

25. Cookie Preference Center

Where Finauthority uses non-essential cookies, users are provided with a cookie preference mechanism.

Depending on the technologies currently used, this may allow you to control categories such as:

Strictly Necessary

Always active where required for the Platform to function securely and correctly.

Functional

Optional features and preferences.

Analytics and Performance

Website usage and performance measurement.

Advertising and Marketing

Advertising, campaign measurement, affiliate attribution or similar commercial technologies.

You may review or change your preferences through the Cookie Settings control available on Finauthority.org.

26. Accepting Cookies

Selecting Accept All means that you consent to the optional cookie categories disclosed in the cookie interface at the time of your choice.

Where granular controls are provided, you may instead consent only to selected categories.

Consent applies only to the purposes and technologies appropriately disclosed when consent is obtained.

27. Rejecting Cookies

Selecting Reject Non-Essential or an equivalent rejection option means that optional cookies will remain disabled.

Strictly necessary cookies may still operate because they are required to provide essential Platform functionality or security.

Rejecting optional cookies should not prevent access to ordinary public Finauthority content.

Some optional functionality may nevertheless be unavailable or work differently.

Finauthority does not intend to make access to its ordinary public financial information conditional on acceptance of non-essential cookies.

28. No Pre-Selected Optional Consent

Optional cookie categories are not treated as accepted merely through pre-selected boxes or settings that assume consent.

Where consent is required, the user must make an affirmative choice.

Strictly necessary cookies may be marked as always active where legally justified.

29. Withdrawing Your Consent

You may withdraw consent for optional cookies at any time.

Withdrawal should be as easy as granting consent.

You can normally do this by using the Cookie Settings control available on Finauthority.org and changing your preferences.

After consent is withdrawn, we will stop using the relevant optional cookies for future processing as technically applicable.

Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Some previously stored cookies may need to be deleted through our preference tool or browser settings depending on the technology involved.

30. Changing Your Preferences

You may change your cookie choices at any time.

For example, you may:

• accept categories previously rejected;
• reject categories previously accepted;
• change individual category preferences; or
• withdraw all optional consent.

Where our technologies or processing purposes materially change, we may ask you to review your preferences again.

31. Recording Consent

Where required for compliance purposes, Finauthority may retain limited records of cookie consent.

These records may include:

• consent status;
• categories selected;
• consent-policy version;
• date and time;
• consent identifier; and
• limited technical information reasonably necessary to demonstrate the choice.

Consent records are used to demonstrate and respect user choices and are not intended to be used for unrelated advertising profiling.

32. Re-Requesting Consent

We may ask users to confirm their cookie preferences again where reasonably appropriate.

This may occur where:

• the purposes of processing materially change;
• important new providers are introduced;
• cookie categories materially change;
• applicable law or regulatory guidance changes;
• previous preferences can no longer be reliably identified; or
• renewal of consent becomes appropriate.

We seek to avoid repeatedly requesting consent in a way that unnecessarily interferes with the user experience.

33. Browser Controls

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through browser settings.

Depending on your browser, you may be able to:

• view cookies;
• delete cookies;
• block all cookies;
• block third-party cookies;
• automatically delete cookies when closing the browser; or
• configure settings for particular websites.

Browser settings are separate from Finauthority’s Cookie Settings interface.

Blocking all cookies through your browser may interfere with essential Platform functions such as login, account management, company claiming or security functionality.

34. Deleting Existing Cookies

You may delete cookies previously stored on your device through your browser settings.

Deleting cookies may result in:

• loss of saved preferences;
• being logged out;
• removal of previous cookie choices; or
• the cookie banner appearing again.

Deleting a consent-preference cookie may mean that Finauthority can no longer recognize your previous choice.

35. Global Privacy Signals and Browser Privacy Features

Browsers and devices may offer privacy signals or technologies designed to communicate privacy preferences.

Finauthority may recognize or implement such mechanisms where technically supported and where required by applicable law.

Because standards, legal requirements and browser implementations continue to develop, not every privacy signal is necessarily interpreted in the same way in every jurisdiction.

Our Cookie Settings interface remains the primary mechanism for managing Finauthority cookie consent where available.

36. International Visitors

Finauthority is an international Platform.

Cookie and privacy requirements may differ depending on where a user is located.

We aim to comply with Czech and European Union requirements applicable to our operations and may adapt consent mechanisms where additional mandatory requirements apply in other jurisdictions.

Users outside the European Economic Area may therefore see different consent information or controls where appropriate.

Nothing in this Policy is intended to reduce mandatory privacy rights available under applicable local law.

37. International Data Transfers

Some third-party technologies may involve processing information outside the European Economic Area.

Where personal data subject to GDPR is transferred internationally, Finauthority will seek to use an appropriate legal transfer mechanism where required.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

• a European Commission adequacy decision;
• Standard Contractual Clauses;
• Binding Corporate Rules where applicable;
• another legally recognized safeguard; or
• a permitted derogation in exceptional circumstances.

Further information about international data transfers is provided in our Privacy Policy.

38. Data Collected Through Cookies

Depending on the cookie and its purpose, information collected may include:

• IP address;
• device identifier;
• browser type;
• operating system;
• session identifier;
• user-account status;
• consent preferences;
• pages viewed;
• referral information;
• interaction information;
• approximate geographic information;
• timestamps;
• technical performance information; and
• security information.

Finauthority does not intend to use cookies to collect passwords, complete financial-account credentials, payment-card security codes, cryptocurrency private keys or cryptocurrency seed phrases.

39. Cookies and Personal Data

Where information obtained through cookies constitutes personal data, it will also be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Depending on the circumstances, the relevant GDPR legal basis for subsequent processing may include:

• consent;
• performance of a contract;
• legitimate interests;
• legal obligations; or
• another legally recognized basis.

The legal requirement governing storage or access to information on your device is assessed separately from the legal basis for any subsequent processing of personal data obtained through that technology.

40. Cookies and Financial Research

Finauthority does not determine a financial company’s regulatory status based on the browsing behavior of individual users.

Cookie choices do not affect:

• a company’s regulatory classification;
• research conclusions;
• review moderation;
• regulatory warnings;
• editorial ratings;
• risk indicators; or
• correction decisions.

A company’s commercial relationship with Finauthority likewise does not give it access to private cookie information about individual users unless there is an independent lawful basis for such processing.

41. Cookies and User Reviews

Cookie or technical information may be used where reasonably necessary to protect the integrity of Finauthority’s review system.

For example, security systems may identify patterns suggesting:

• automated submissions;
• spam;
• repeated account abuse;
• multiple-account activity;
• mass review manipulation; or
• technical attacks.

Such technical indicators may assist moderation but should not automatically be treated as proof that a particular review is false.

Further information is provided in our User Review and Evidence Policy.

42. Children

Finauthority’s account, company-management and financial-review services are intended primarily for adults aged 18 or older.

We do not intentionally use optional tracking technologies for the purpose of profiling children.

If our services change in a way that creates additional obligations relating to children, we will update our practices and this Policy as appropriate.

43. Third-Party Privacy Policies

Third parties providing technologies on Finauthority may process information according to their own privacy or cookie policies.

Where applicable, users can review information regarding relevant third-party providers through our Cookie Settings interface or the provider’s own privacy information.

Finauthority does not control independent third-party processing that occurs after you leave our Platform or interact directly with an independent third-party service.

44. Changes to Our Cookie Technologies

The technologies used by Finauthority may change as the Platform develops.

For example, we may:

• replace an analytics provider;
• introduce new security services;
• discontinue advertising technologies;
• add new account functionality;
• change consent-management providers; or
• remove unnecessary cookies.

We will update the relevant cookie disclosures where material changes occur.

Where required, new optional technologies will not be activated for existing users until appropriate consent has been obtained.

45. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect:

• changes in our technologies;
• new service providers;
• changes to the Platform;
• changes in applicable law;
• regulatory guidance;
• security requirements; or
• changes in our business practices.

The Last Updated date at the beginning of this Policy indicates when the current version was issued.

Where a material change affects previously granted consent, we may request renewed consent where required.

Previous versions may be retained where appropriate for transparency.

46. Language

The primary version of this Cookie Policy is the English-language version.

Translations may be provided for convenience and accessibility.

Where permitted by applicable law, if a translation differs materially from the English version, the English version will be used to determine the intended meaning.

This does not limit mandatory rights available under applicable local law.

47. Supervisory Authority

Because Finauthority’s main establishment is in the Czech Republic, the Czech supervisory authority responsible for personal-data protection matters is:

Office for Personal Data Protection
Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů

Pplk. Sochora 27
170 00 Praha 7
Czech Republic

Email: posta@uoou.gov.cz

Individuals may also have the right to contact another competent supervisory authority where applicable.

Users are welcome to contact Finauthority at privacy@finauthority.org first so that we have an opportunity to investigate a concern, but this does not restrict any legal right to contact a supervisory authority.

48. Contact Us

Questions about Finauthority’s use of cookies and similar technologies may be sent to:

Finauthority
FinAuthority

Národní 135/14
Prague, Hlavní mesto Praha 110 00
Czech Republic

Privacy enquiries: privacy@finauthority.org

General enquiries: kancelar@finauthority.org

Legal enquiries: legal@finauthority.org

Company Review & Verification: check@finauthority.org

Website: Finauthority.org

Please do not send passwords, payment-card security codes, online-banking credentials, cryptocurrency private keys or seed phrases when contacting us.

49. Related Policies

This Cookie Policy should be read together with the following Finauthority policies:

• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Legal Notice
• Financial and Regulatory Disclaimer
• Editorial Standards and Independence
• Research and Rating Methodology
• User Review and Evidence Policy
• Corrections, Complaints and Right of Reply Policy
• Advertising, Affiliate and Conflict of Interest Disclosure
• Company Profile and Claiming Policy
• Content Moderation and Notice-and-Action Policy
• Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy

50. Cookie Settings

You may review or change your optional cookie preferences at any time using the Cookie Settings control available on Finauthority.org.

Strictly necessary cookies required for the operation, security, authentication or essential functionality of the Platform cannot be disabled through the Finauthority preference center.

Optional cookies will remain disabled until the relevant consent is provided where consent is required by applicable law.