Terms & Policies
How We Work
Welcome to our transparency page
At Sinku, we believe you should understand exactly how your financial technology works. We are not a bank, not a traditional financial institution. We are something new. We are the technology behind your financial freedom.
The purpose of this document is to explain, clearly and definitively, how Sinku operates, how our technology and partnerships work, and how we ensure that everything we do fully respects applicable laws and regulations.
1. What is Sinku?
Sinku is a financial technology platform — not a bank and not a licensed financial institution.
We provide a mobile app that serves as a unified interface to access financial services delivered by independent, licensed third-party partners. When you use Sinku, you are using our software to interact with services provided by regulated partners like our licensed financial partner (for payment cards) and Privy (for wallet infrastructure).
Our platform operates on the principle that you should be in control of your finances. Sinku does not hold, control, or have custody of your funds. We provide the technology layer that makes accessing financial services simple, transparent, and accessible — no matter where you are.
What makes us different
Unlike traditional banks and financial institutions that hold your money and act as intermediaries, Sinku is a technology company that connects you directly to financial services. Your funds are held by our regulated partners, not by us. This means: No risk of Sinku going bankrupt and losing your funds — your assets are held by licensed, regulated institutions. Full transparency — you can see exactly where your money is and how it's being managed. Lower costs — by removing unnecessary intermediaries, we can offer better rates and lower fees.
Our role
Sinku acts as a software provider. We build and maintain the app you use, handle customer support, and ensure the best possible user experience. The financial services themselves — card issuance, payment processing, wallet management — are provided by our licensed partners under their own regulatory authorisations.
2. How does our technology work?
Sinku is built on a modern financial technology architecture that combines the best of traditional fintech with blockchain-based infrastructure. Here's how the key components work:
Your wallet
When you create a Sinku account, a digital wallet is created for you through our partner Privy. This wallet uses non-custodial technology, meaning that Sinku does not have access to your private keys. You maintain full control over your wallet and its contents. Your wallet security is protected by advanced cryptographic technology. Soon, with the adoption of Passkeys, your wallet credentials will be generated and stored exclusively on your phone or computer, giving you complete custody and control with maximum hardware security.
Transaction processing
When you make a payment or transfer through Sinku, the process works as follows: 1. You initiate the transaction in the app 2. The transaction details are prepared by our software 3. You authorise the transaction (the final validation happens on your device) 4. The transaction is processed by our partner infrastructure 5. Settlement occurs directly — your funds move without passing through Sinku accounts At no point do your funds pass through accounts owned by Sinku. Our software simply facilitates the connection between you and the financial infrastructure.
Security architecture
Our security architecture is built on two pillars: Backend security: For most services, communication occurs exclusively between the Sinku backend and our partners. Your browser or app does not interact directly with these services. All transmission is protected by transport-layer encryption (TLS). End-to-end encryption: For authentication services, Sinku does not access the communications between your device and our authentication partners. This interaction occurs end-to-end via TLS encryption, ensuring that access keys and sensitive authentication data remain isolated from our infrastructure.
3. Our partners and regulatory framework
Sinku does not operate in a regulatory vacuum. As a global platform, Sinku operates in strict compliance with the laws of the countries where we are present.
Our operations are governed by a framework of rules that ensure user safety, data privacy, and operational integrity. Although Sinku is a technology provider, we have an ethical and legal commitment to prevent our software from being used to facilitate illegal activities.
Licensed Partner — Payment cards and financial services
Our licensed financial partner is responsible for issuing payment cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks. Our licensed partner operates under its own regulatory authorisations and is responsible for: Card issuance (virtual and physical) Payment processing Compliance with financial regulations KYC (Know Your Customer) verification for card services When you use your Sinku card, the transaction is processed through our licensed partner's infrastructure on the Visa or Mastercard network.
Privy — Wallet infrastructure
Privy provides the non-custodial wallet infrastructure that powers your Sinku wallet. Privy is responsible for: Wallet creation and management Key security and authentication Wallet recovery mechanisms Important: Privy's non-custodial model means that neither Sinku nor Privy can access your wallet's private keys. You are the sole controller of your wallet.
Compliance and anti-money laundering
Our compliance policies are based on community protection and respect for global standards including: Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) requirements Economic sanctions compliance Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures Everything that connects to the traditional financial system is regulated — our technology operates on top of these institutions to ensure that the final ownership remains yours.
4. Why Sinku is not a bank
To fully understand why Sinku is not a bank, it's important to understand the fundamental differences in our architecture:
We are not custodians
To be a custodian, an institution needs to control private keys or have the ability to move funds on behalf of clients. Our technology is non-custodial through Privy. Without the ability to control your keys, it is technically impossible for us to transfer, freeze, or confiscate your funds.
We are not intermediaries
Traditional financial intermediaries act 'on behalf of' clients — they receive orders, manage resources, and execute transactions in your name. Sinku does not act on your behalf. We are the technology you use to access financial services directly. Think of Sinku like a web browser: it allows you to access your bank's website and make transactions, but the browser is not the bank and not the financial intermediary. It's simply the technology tool. Similarly, Sinku is the interface that connects you directly to financial services.
What we are
We are a technology service provider. We understand that financial regulation exists — and rightly so — to mitigate risks associated with financial institutions (counterparty risk, insolvency, commingling). At Sinku, these risks don't apply in the same way: since your funds are not under our custody and we don't perform intermediation, the traditional prudential rules apply to our licensed partners, not to us. However, we work with regulated partners for all financial operations. Everything that touches the traditional financial system is regulated — our technology operates on top of these institutions to ensure your protection.
5. The Sinku Card
The Sinku Card is not just a payment method — it's a tool for financial efficiency and freedom. It is designed to give you access to the global economy with transparency and control.
How it works
Your Sinku Card is issued through our partnership with our licensed financial partner on the Visa and Mastercard networks. The card is built on the principle that you remain in control of your funds — before, during, and after each transaction. Unlike traditional cards where the issuing bank holds your money, with Sinku your funds remain in your wallet until the moment of payment. The card draws from your Sinku wallet to process each transaction.
Security features
The card uses smart contract technology to apply security modules to your wallet: Roles Module: Acts as a shield for your account. It authorises the card system to move only a specific token to a single, secure destination. The card operates in an 'isolated corridor' without any power over the rest of your assets. Delay Module: To ensure security and accuracy of balances, non-card transactions may have a brief processing interval. This is essential to prevent processing conflicts and maintain the integrity of your wallet. Tip: We recommend using your Sinku wallet like a 'spending vault'. Keep only the amount you plan to use day-to-day or while travelling.
Why we ask for identity verification
Although your wallet is non-custodial, the Sinku Card connects to the Visa and Mastercard networks, which are traditional, regulated payment systems. For these networks to process your payments at millions of establishments worldwide, it is mandatory to comply with KYC (Know Your Customer) and anti-money laundering rules. We request your identification documents (such as a government-issued ID and NIF/TIN) only to issue the card and comply with these requirements. This does not give us the power to control or confiscate your assets.
6. Self-custody: your responsibility
By choosing a non-custodial model, you eliminate the risk of an institution going bankrupt and taking your funds with it. However, you also assume full responsibility for the security of your access. It is essential that you understand the following:
Key and credential management
Since Sinku does not have access to your private key, we do not have the technical ability to recover your funds or reset your credentials if you lose access to your device or your backup credentials (recovery phrase/recovery keys).
Transaction irreversibility
Certain transactions processed through blockchain are immutable. Once you sign an operation (sending funds), it cannot be undone, cancelled, or reversed by Sinku.
Device security
The protection of your assets ultimately depends on the security of your device. Keep your phone protected with a screen lock, keep the Sinku app updated, and never share your credentials. If your device is compromised by malware or accessed by third parties, your security may be at risk.
7. What happens if Sinku stops operating?
This is the ultimate proof of our non-custodial nature. If Sinku were to shut down today, your funds would remain safe because they are not with us — they are held by our licensed partners and secured by your wallet's private keys.
Your card-related funds, held through our licensed partner, would continue to be managed under our licensed partner's regulatory framework. Your wallet assets, secured through Privy's non-custodial infrastructure, would remain accessible using your private keys through any compatible wallet interface.
Sinku is the gateway to your financial services — but the keys and the assets are yours.
8. Tax and reporting responsibilities
As a technology service provider, Sinku does not perform tax reporting on behalf of individual users in the same way a traditional bank would. However, certain financial operations processed through our regulated partners may be subject to reporting requirements under applicable laws.
Your obligations
You are solely responsible for determining and fulfilling any tax obligations arising from your use of Sinku services. This includes reporting any relevant transactions to your local tax authority and declaring any applicable taxes. The specific tax reporting requirements depend on the laws of your country of residence. We recommend consulting a qualified tax professional for guidance on your obligations.
What data we hold
We store your registration data (such as your email, phone number, and identification details like NIF/TIN). We do this for two practical reasons: Partner integration: So you can access services like card issuance (via our licensed partner) and other partner features that require identification. Ease of access: So you don't need to fill in forms every time you open the app.
9. Our commitment to security
Transparency demands that we are direct: while our technology and our partners' infrastructure are built to the highest security standards, no system is completely immune to risk. At Sinku, security is not a finished product — it is a continuous process.
We work tirelessly monitoring updates, following global audits, and reviewing systems to ensure the integrity of your assets is always protected. Our commitment is to provide you with the most secure, transparent, and accessible financial technology possible.
Questions?
If you have questions about how Sinku works, our technology, or our partners, get in touch:
In-app chat: Go to your profile and tap 'Help'
Email: support@sinku.io
We're here to help and committed to full transparency.
Last updated: March 2026