1. These Standard Chartered Bank Instant Messaging terms and conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the communication channel through an instant messaging application (e.g. WhatsApp) (“Application”) with the relevant entity of the Standard Chartered group you have a banking relationship with (the “Bank”, “we”, “us” or “our”) (“IM Channel”).

2. To access the IM Channel, please follow the instructions provided by your relationship manager to connect with our official instant messaging account on the relevant Application (“Bank IM Account”).

3. By connecting with the Bank IM Account and your use of the IM Channel, you consent and agree to be bound by these Terms, as supplemented by and to be read in conjunction with the rest of our banking agreement, including the:
   1. Client Terms;
   2. Privacy Notice; and
   3. Any other terms and/or documents forming part of our banking agreement (“collectively the “Other Terms”).

4. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between these Terms and the Other Terms, these Terms shall prevail over the Other Terms in relation to any matter concerning the IM Channel.

Use of the IM Channel

5. You acknowledge that you will need to connect to the Bank IM Account and perform the necessary procedures to register, verify, activate and link your account to enable you to access and use the IM Channel.

6. Once you have successfully linked your account with the Bank IM Account, we are entitled to assume that we are interacting with you through the Application. We are not liable in the event of any fraud and/or impersonation incidents through the IM Channel.

7. In accessing the IM Channel, you shall at all times communicate with us only through the Bank IM Account as notified to you by us from time to time.

8. You acknowledge and consent to the monitoring and recording of all communications made between you and us through the IM Channel (including any documents shared, annotated and exchanged). We will keep records of such communications in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory obligations and our internal policies. We may use the recorded communications in any dispute as admissible evidence, and you agree not to challenge their validity, admissibility, enforceability, reliability, accuracy or authenticity on the basis that they are in electronic form. You agree that the recorded communications remain our property.

9. You can stop using the IM Channel at any time by delinking from the Bank IM Account. We also have the right to suspend and terminate the IM Channel or your access to the IM Channel at our sole and absolute discretion and at any time without prior notice to you. For example, we may not provide you with continued access to the IM Channel if you are located in countries or territories that are subject to sanctions or other restrictions. In such cases, you will not be able to access the IM Channel.

10. We will send communications and documents to you through the Application, including communications for marketing purposes subject to and in accordance with the consent you have provided for the Bank to do so. You shall not construe any communications and documents we provide to you through the IM Channel as legal, tax or financial advice and you shall consult your own independent analysis and be fully responsible for any decisions you may make in relation to your account(s) with the Bank.

11. You agree that the type of communication or information (including any document) permitted to be transmitted through the IM channel will be determined by us in our sole and absolute discretion, and you may not be able to send certain content to us through the IM Channel, which may be notified to you by us from time to time.

12. You understand that for the purposes of submitting and/or providing instructions to us, you should use your usual channels with us, such as the myRM application. Any instructions provided to your relationship manager through the IM Channel shall not be deemed accepted and/or binding on us.

13. You acknowledge that the IM Channel relies on an Application which is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis through an independent third-party that is unaffiliated with the Bank, and we do not have any control over the Application. We do not make any express or implied representation, guarantee, warranty or agreement of any kind in relation to the Application or any of its contents, including its security, reliability or functionality, that the Application is or will remain free of viruses and/or will be accessible at all times.

14. You also acknowledge that your use of the Application remains subject to all applicable terms and policies as prescribed by the independent third-party from time to time, and any agreement shall be made solely between you and such independent third-party. We will not be obliged to notify you of such terms and policies and it remains your responsibility to comply with the same.

15. You acknowledge that the IM Channel does not guarantee that you will have access to your relationship manager at all times. If you are unable to reach your relationship manager, you may leave offline messages through the IM Channel and your relationship manager will respond as soon as possible within business hours.

16. You acknowledge and accept the risks of communicating with us by electronic means, including the risk of communications being intercepted, and delay or failure to receive communications. You further acknowledge and accept that any communications between you and us may not be encrypted, and we will not be responsible or liable to you for any possible release, loss or interception of such information due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

Your responsibilities

17. You are responsible for the security of your electronic equipment, mobile device, security code, and the confidentiality of your information. You must inform us as soon as possible of any changes in your contact information and/or if you lose your electronic equipment or mobile device or if you are aware of anyone using it without your permission. You acknowledge that anyone with whom you share your electronic equipment, devices, login credentials may be able to see all messages that you have exchanged with us through the Application, including your conversation history.

18. You must take all reasonably practicable measures to ensure that any electronic equipment or mobile device from which you access the IM Channel is free of and adequately protected against any computer virus or other malicious software.

19. You may not access or use the IM Channel on any electronic equipment or mobile device that you know or have reason to believe has had its security or integrity compromised (for example, where the device has been “jail broken” or “rooted”). You will be solely liable for any losses incurred as a result of such access or usage.

20. You are also responsible for downloading the latest version of the Application, checking for any updates from time to time and supporting the software, hardware and/or operating systems required for the continued access to and use of the IM Channel.

21. You undertake that you shall be responsible for compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including any geographical local restrictions on the use of the Application and/or the IM Channel) and that you shall not use the IM Channel for any commercial or improper purposes. We shall not be responsible for any improper or unauthorised use of the IM Channel by you or any other person.

General

22. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that we (including our parent, affiliates and subsidiaries) shall not be held liable for any claim, liability, cost, damage, loss or expense of any kind howsoever arising, whether direct, indirect, consequential, special, punitive, exemplary or economic, from or in connection with your access or use of the IM Channel, the availability or non-availability of the IM Channel, your access or use of the Application, any fault, system down-time, delays or functionality error of the Application, failure in or loss of access to the Application, any refusal to accept or process your instruction(s) submitted through the IM Channel, any transmission of information between you and us through the Application, any act or omission of third party service providers or any third parties, or due to factors beyond our reasonable control.

23. You agree to indemnify us against any and all claims, actions, demands, loss, damages and liabilities arising from, and any costs, charges and expenses arising directly or indirectly out of or incurred in connection with your improper use of the IM Channel, any incorrect or misleading representation or warranty given by you, or any failure by you to comply with these Terms.

24. These Terms do not create or confer any rights or benefit enforceable by any person not a party to it except members of the Standard Chartered Group, or our successor or assignee of the rights and benefits of these Terms.

25. These Terms may be made available to you in both English and another language. The English version shall prevail in the event of any discrepancy between the two versions.

26. These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction of the relevant entity of the Standard Chartered group you have a banking relationship with.

27. We may amend these Terms from time to time in our sole and absolute discretion in accordance with applicable law. By continuing to use the IM Channel following any new amendment, you will be deemed to have accepted the amended Terms.

To view terms and conditions in Arabic, please click here.