Terms of Service

By creating a merchant account or otherwise using the Raïs platform (the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

These Terms apply to every merchant, and to every user acting on a merchant's behalf, that accesses the Service.

Raïs provides an online payment platform. The Service allows a merchant to initiate a card payment request, to present a hosted payment page or payment link to its customer, to receive the outcome of the transaction through an application programming interface or webhook, to hold the proceeds in its Raïs balance and withdraw them, and to consult and export records of those transactions.

The Service specifically includes:

• Creation of payment orders for goods or services sold by the merchant
• A hosted checkout page and shareable payment links
• Issuance and tracking of commercial invoices for collection
• A REST application programming interface and signed webhook notifications
• A dashboard for transaction reporting, reconciliation, refunds, balances and withdrawals
• Raïs accounts and balances, and payments between Raïs users, where those features are offered

Raïs connects merchants and users to the Algerian interbank card network and, in the cases described below, holds funds on their behalf. For the avoidance of doubt, and as an essential condition of these Terms:

• Funds held by Raïs in some cases. Raïs may receive and hold funds belonging to merchants and users. This is the case for the balance of a merchant account, which records what Raïs owes the merchant from payments received less refunds, fees and other deductions, and for the balances of Raïs accounts used for payments between users. Raïs may keep the money behind these balances in accounts of its choice with banks in Algeria. Balances earn no interest and are paid out by withdrawal, as set out in the Merchant Agreement.
• Holds and reserves. Raïs may hold part of a balance, and prevent its withdrawal, while a complaint, dispute or chargeback is open or expected, or where it suspects fraud or a breach of these Terms, as set out in the Merchant Agreement.
• Accounts and payments between users. Where a feature offers it, Raïs provides accounts that hold a balance, the addition of money to an account, and person-to-person payments between Raïs users. Each feature is available only when it is presented as such in the Service, and may be subject to additional terms and to identity verification.
• Card payments in Algerian Dinar. Card transactions are denominated in Algerian Dinar (DZD). Raïs does not convert card payments into another currency.
• Commercial transactions only for card collection. Merchant card collection may be used solely to collect payment for goods or services genuinely supplied by the merchant to its own customers.

Authorisation, clearing and settlement of card transactions are performed by SATIM and the licensed institutions of the Algerian banking system. The proceeds of a payment are credited to the merchant's balance at Raïs and are paid to the merchant's own bank account when the merchant makes a withdrawal, in accordance with the Merchant Agreement.

The Service is available only to businesses, professionals and legal entities duly registered in Algeria that sell goods or services. The individual creating the account must be at least 18 years old and duly authorised to bind the merchant.

Before a merchant may accept live transactions, Raïs verifies the merchant's identity and activity, which may include the commercial register extract, tax identification number, bank account details, and review of the website or application on which payments will be collected. Raïs may refuse, suspend or withdraw access at its discretion, or where required by a banking partner or a competent authority.

As a merchant using the Service, you undertake to:

• Provide accurate, complete and current information, and keep it up to date
• Use the Service only for the lawful activity declared during onboarding
• Clearly display your legal identity, contact details, prices, delivery terms and refund policy to your customers
• Deliver the goods or services paid for, and handle customer claims in good faith
• Keep your API credentials and webhook secrets confidential
• Comply with the rules of the interbank network and of your acquiring bank

You may not use the Service to:

• Conduct any activity prohibited by Algerian law or by applicable banking regulation
• Carry out money transfer, remittance, cash advance, currency exchange or the sale of monetary value, other than through the features Raïs provides for that purpose
• Process transactions that do not correspond to a genuine sale of goods or services by you
• Process transactions on behalf of a third party, or aggregate payments for other merchants
• Engage in fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, or the evasion of sanctions
• Sell goods or services that are unlawful, counterfeit or restricted
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, probe or tamper with any part of the platform
• Access the Service through unauthorised automation, or transmit malicious code

Breach of this section may result in immediate suspension, in reporting to the competent authorities, and in liability for any resulting loss.

Raïs charges the fees of its published price list (rais.app/pricing) in force on the day of each transaction: a fee for each payment and each refund, made up of the fees of SATIM and of Raïs, and any withdrawal fee the price list states. The same price list applies to every merchant: fees are not negotiated or agreed per business. Fees are deducted from the merchant's balance, and a change to the price list is published before it takes effect.

Fees exclude value-added tax and other taxes, which the merchant bears. Fees charged to the merchant by its own bank are governed by the merchant's agreement with that bank and are not set by Raïs. All amounts are in Algerian Dinar (DZD).

The merchant is responsible for its refund policy and for dealing with its customers' claims in good faith. Raïs may also receive, investigate and decide complaints about payments made through the Service, and may as a result refund the payer and hold or debit the merchant's balance, as set out in the Merchant Agreement. Refunds are executed against the original transaction and are subject to the rules and timelines of the card network. Chargebacks, representments and related costs are governed by the Merchant Agreement and the card network's rules.

Cardholder data is captured on a payment page operated within the certified banking environment. Raïs does not receive or store full card numbers. The merchant must never collect, request or store card details itself, and must implement reasonable security measures to protect its credentials and its customers' personal data.

Raïs makes reasonable efforts to keep the Service available, but does not guarantee uninterrupted operation. The Service depends on third-party banking infrastructure whose availability, processing times and settlement schedules are outside our control. Planned maintenance will be communicated where practicable.

All elements of the Raïs platform, including the name, logo, design, documentation, software and data structures, are the exclusive property of Raïs and its licensors. You may not reproduce, distribute or create derivative works from any part of the Service without prior written permission.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Raïs shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the Service, including loss of revenue, data or business opportunity.

Raïs is not a party to the commercial contract between the merchant and its customer, and bears no liability for the goods or services sold. Our aggregate liability for any claim arising from the Service shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to Raïs in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

You may close your merchant account at any time by contacting us. Raïs may suspend or terminate access, with or without notice, where these Terms are breached, where a banking partner or competent authority so requires, or where continued access would present a legal, regulatory or security risk.

We may modify these Terms at any time. Significant changes will be notified by posting the updated Terms on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, including the regulations applicable to payment activities. Any dispute arising from these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent Algerian courts.

For any question regarding these Terms, contact us at salam@rais.app.