What is a Client Protection and Alignment Policy?

A Client Protection and Alignment Policy (hereafter “CPA Policy”) describes a company’s standards and processes in place for protecting its clients and how it aligns its processes and practices with its values and mission. Please remember that it is not enough to adopt a policy - policies like these should also be clearly communicated and made available to all staff. The policy should be regularly reviewed to reflect changes to internal operations, regulations, and the business environment - this is particularly important for young companies and startups that tend to grow and evolve quickly over time.

How should I use the template?

This template presents a core structure alongside client protection and alignment topics that are relevant to most companies. Each section offers specific instructions on what companies should include per topic and lists policy language they can adapt. The template addresses topics such as:

• Product design and delivery
• Transparency
• Responsible pricing
• Fair and respectful treatment of clients and customers
• Data privacy
• Grievance mechanisms
• Potential conflicts of interest
• Employee training and education

Note that the template is merely a starting point! Some topics may be more relevant to you than others. For example, for an online lending startup, prevention of over-indebtedness might be an important basic product design principle to adopt; or for a healthcare company, privacy may be a particularly important issue when it comes to sensitive personal data. Use the template as a basis on which to make changes to match your own unique characteristics, as well as language and style.