Introduction

Bound Rates Limited (“Bound” or “we”) is committed to providing the highest-quality service and fair treatment to our existing and potential customers. However, we recognise there may be instances where things go wrong, misunderstandings arise or you are not satisfied with the level of service or treatment you have received from us. Bound Rates Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as an investment firm (FRN 966723) and as an electronic money institution (FRN 1036025).

We have therefore, in accordance with Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) rules, implemented a Complaints Handling Policy and Procedures. This document sets out the process that will be followed in responding to complaints for clients and potential clients.

What is a complaint?

A “complaint” is defined as any oral or written expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, from or on behalf of a client about Bound’s provision of, or failure to provide, a financial service.

A complaint does not need to be in writing and does not need to specifically reference that it is a complaint. However, while we provide periodic training and guidance to our staff to enable them to identify and address complaints promptly and fairly, we do recommend that, if you do wish to raise a complaint, that you provide:

• As much information as you can on the nature of and reason for your complaint.

• The relevant contact details for responding to your complaint.

Raising a complaint

You can raise a complaint by contacting your usual account executive or contact at Bound. Alternatively, you may wish to contact our complaints handling team using the contact details set out below. Making a complaint is free of charge. Our Compliance team is responsible for handling complaints.

Post: Compliance, Bound Rates Limited, 16 Great Chapel Street, London, W1F 8FL

Email: compliance@bound.co

Telephone: Please contact using your normal business contact or on our office number 020 8064 0360 and ask for the Compliance Team.

Overview of our process for addressing complaints

All complaints are taken very seriously and any feedback is appreciated as it provides us with an opportunity to improve our standards. In line with our commitment to you, as well as our legal and regulatory obligations, we shall endeavour to:

• Acknowledge and respond to your complaint without undue delay.

• Provide detailed and clear information as to our reasons for not upholding any complaint or not offering any redress or remedial actions.

• Investigate and handle your complaint fairly and impartially.

• Provide details of alternative dispute resolution options available to you.

• Communicate with you openly and clearly.

• Keep you informed about progress in resolving your complaint.

• Provide redress or carry out remedial action promptly, if this is appropriate.

You may have the right to make a complaint to a regulatory body and/or take civil action. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach any such regulatory body or take such action, so please contact us in the first instance.

What you can expect from us in relation to any complaints

In accordance with the FCA rules, when responding to any complaint we will:

• Send you a written acknowledgment providing you with the contact details for the department handling your complaint and confirming when you can expect our response within 3 business days following the day it was received.

• Keep you updated on progress in resolving your complaint.

• Seek to provide a final response as soon as possible and within 8 weeks (or within the shorter timescales for e-money and payment services complaints set out below) from the date the complaint was received.

• If unable to provide a final response within 8 weeks, we will write to you explaining why, telling you when we expect to be able to respond, and confirming that you may refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

• We will provide you with information on the Financial Ombudsman Service (“FOS”) so that you can consider whether you are able to refer your complaint to them and how to do so. The FOS can consider complaints from eligible complainants, which include micro-enterprises and small businesses (broadly, businesses with an annual turnover below £6.5 million and either fewer than 50 employees or a balance sheet total below £5 million). Eligibility does not depend on where your business is based, but a firm complaining about an activity it is itself authorised or entitled to carry on is not eligible. You will generally need to refer your complaint to the FOS within six months of the date of our final response. If your business is not eligible to refer a complaint to the FOS, we will still handle your complaint in accordance with this process and tell you about any other options available to you, such as alternative dispute resolution or civil action.

If we are able to reach a resolution with you by close of business on the third business day after the day we receive your complaint we will not apply the above process and will send you a Summary Resolution Communication. This will make clear our conclusions in relation to the complaint and indicate whether you are able to refer your complaint to the United Kingdom Financial Ombudsman Service. This communication will also make clear that you can request we start our formal Complaints Process as set out above if dissatisfied.

Complaints about e-money or payment services: where your complaint, or any part of it, relates to the e-money or payment services we provide to you, we will send you a final response by the end of 15 business days after the day on which we received it. In exceptional circumstances beyond our control, we will instead send you a holding response within those 15 business days explaining the reasons for the delay and the date by which you will receive our final response, which will be no later than 35 business days after the day on which we received your complaint.

Referring your complaint elsewhere

If we believe another firm is solely or jointly responsible for your complaint, we may forward the complaint, or the relevant part of it, to that firm promptly and in writing. We will tell you why we have done so and give you that firm's contact details. Where we are jointly responsible, we will continue to deal with the part of your complaint for which we are responsible.

Cooperating with the Financial Ombudsman Service

We will cooperate fully with the Financial Ombudsman Service in relation to any complaint that they accept. Information regarding the service of the Financial Ombudsman can be found here. You can contact the FOS by post at Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London E14 9SR, by telephone on 0800 023 4567, or by email at complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk.