Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2026

Payment Economics Institute ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit payment-economics.org or use our services.

Who We Are

The data controller for payment-economics.org is Payment Economics Institute, an assumed name of Clear Paths Growth LLC, a Vermont limited liability company. We publish the Payment Economics Journal, operate the certification platform, and provide advisory and research services related to the Payment Economics discipline.

Contact for privacy matters:
Payment Economics Institute
Email: advisory@payment-economics.org
Burlington, Vermont, United States

What Data We Collect

We collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identity Data: First name, last name
• Contact Data: Email address
• Profile Data: Your selected path (professional, association, or technology), assessment responses, resource access history
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, time zone, operating system (collected automatically via standard web technologies)
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on site

How We Collect Your Data

We collect data through:

• Direct interactions: When you fill out forms, create an account, subscribe to our newsletter, run the PEI Score calculator, or contact us
• PEI Score Calculator: When you submit the calculator, we collect your name, work email, company, job title, industry, and payment volume data to generate your score. We also send a follow-up email to the address you provide summarizing your results and next steps. You can opt out of future emails by replying to any such email or contacting us directly.
• Automated technologies: As you navigate our site, we may automatically collect Technical Data using cookies and similar technologies

How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide access to the Payment Economics Network and resource library
• To send you relevant resources based on your selected path
• To send marketing communications (only with your explicit consent)
• To improve our website and services
• To respond to your inquiries
• To comply with legal obligations

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, and other jurisdictions with similar laws, we process your data under the following legal bases:

• Consent: For marketing communications and non-essential cookies
• Contract: To provide services you have requested
• Legitimate interests: To improve our services and understand how our website is used, where this does not override your rights
• Legal obligation: To comply with applicable laws

Marketing Communications

We will only send you marketing communications if you have given explicit consent. You can withdraw consent at any time by:

• Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email
• Emailing us at privacy@payment-economics.org

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before withdrawal.

Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with:

• Service providers (data processors): Including Supabase (authentication and database, hosted in the United States), HubSpot (CRM and email marketing), and Netlify (hosting), who act as data processors on our behalf under contractual data processing agreements. Each processor is bound by obligations to process personal data only on our documented instructions and to implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures.
• Legal authorities: If required by law or to protect our rights

International Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States. Where we transfer data outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy. Specifically:

• Account and profile data: Until you request deletion or close your account
• Marketing consent records: 3 years from last interaction or until consent is withdrawn
• Technical and usage data: 26 months

Your Rights

Under GDPR and similar laws, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing
• Portability: Request transfer of your data in a machine-readable format
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@payment-economics.org. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been violated.

Cookies

We use the following categories of cookies:

• Essential cookies: Required for authentication and site security (Supabase session management). These cannot be declined without breaking site functionality.
• Functional cookies: Store your display preferences such as light/dark mode. These persist across sessions.
• Third-party requests: Google Fonts loads typography assets from Google's CDN, which may set cookies or log requests per Google's privacy policy. We use this for visual consistency; no personal data is shared by us with Google through this mechanism.

We do not use advertising cookies or behavioural tracking cookies. You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings or via the cookie consent banner shown on your first visit.

Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

Data Deletion Requests

To request deletion of your personal data, email advisory@payment-economics.org with the subject line "Data Deletion Request" and the email address associated with your account. We will confirm deletion within 30 days. Note that deleting your data will remove your account and any certification records associated with it.

Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following third-party processors who may handle your personal data on our behalf:

• Google Analytics (GA4) — website analytics (loaded only after cookie consent)
• LinkedIn Insight Tag — professional audience analytics (loaded only after cookie consent)
• Stripe — payment processing for certifications and purchases
• Netlify — website hosting and serverless functions
• Beehiiv / LinkedIn — newsletter and journal distribution
• Resend — transactional email delivery. When you run the PEI Score calculator, your name, email address, company, and score results are transmitted to Resend to send you a follow-up email regarding your results. Resend acts as a data processor under our instructions.

Each processor is bound by data processing agreements and applicable privacy regulations. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

Contact Us

For any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices:

Payment Economics Institute
Email: advisory@payment-economics.org
Burlington, Vermont, United States