Data Protection Statement from Flossbach von Storch AG

We at Flossbach von Storch Invest S.A. are glad that you have chosen to visit this website and that you have expressed an interest in our company. We would like you to feel safe when visiting our website. This is why protecting your personal data is a high priority for us.

The document issued in German is legally binding. This English translation is only for the purpose of convenience.

1. Name and contact person of the data controller

Flossbach von Storch AG, Ottoplatz 1, D-50679 Köln, Germany, Phone +49 221 33 88 0

Board Members: Dr. Bert Flossbach, Kurt von Storch, Dirk von Velsen

You can reach us at: datenschutz@fvsag.com

2. Data security

When you access our website, SSL encryption comes into effect. You are able to tell whether the encryption is active by the padlock icon in the browser bar; the corresponding address lines start with https: //

SSL encryption prevents third parties from reading the data sent between servers.

In addition, we ensure the implementation of current technical and operational measures in order to protect the security of your data against loss, accidental or intentional manipulation, destruction and unauthorised access or disclosure by third parties.

3. Collecting and processing personal data

1. When visiting our website every access and every retrieval of a file stored on the website is logged. The following are logged: name of the retrieved file, date and time of retrieval, the volume of data transferred, notification about successful data retrieval, web browser and requesting domain. In addition, the IP addresses of the requesting computers are logged anonymously. Logging is done for the purpose of pursuing our legitimate interest (art. 6, paragraph 1, let. f) of Regulation EU 2016/679) to ensure a smooth connection set-up, optimisation of our websites, and to ensure system stability and security. The data will not be used to draw any further conclusions about you.
2. If you contact us via the contact form, we ask you to provide personal information which is necessary for us to be able to reach you personally. Data processing is carried out by us in order to allow specific communication that is oriented towards your enquiry and take steps at your request prior to entering into a possible contract (art. 6, paragraph 1, let. of Regulation EU 2016/679. Typical purposes include answering enquiries about our financial portfolio management products, investment and transaction brokerage, as well as investment consulting / initiating customer contact and concluding contracts / processing applications / maintaining business relationships.
3. If you register for our newsletter online, we will expressly ask you to agree to our using your e-mail address for regular newsletter mailings. After registering you will receive an initial email with a link to confirm your email address. You have the right to object at any time and free of charge to the processing of your personal data for marketing purposes, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal; indeed, with each following newsletter you will have the possibility, via a link, to unsubscribe from this newsletter. Please note that our newsletter will have marketing content, as it will promote our products services. Your consent to the use of your email address for marketing purposes is completely optional and, in case you decide not to give your consent, there will be no consequences whatsoever. By registering your data and subscribe to the newsletter, you consent to the processing of concerned data (art. 6, paragraph 1, let. a) of Regulation EU 2016/679). Your consent encompasses all data provided from your side.
4. In addition, there is the possibility to register for private areas on our website in compliance with the web-site terms and conditions. This registration is voluntary and its purpose is to have access to information on products.

Personal data will be stored until the relevant operations will be completed. After that the data will be deleted, provided that statutory provision do not require for a longer duration of storage.

4. Transmission of data

The transfer of personal data to third parties is intended only for specific purposes. These purposes are based on the existence of legal regulations, e.g. the Money Laundering Act, the fulfilment of contractual agreements and your consent, as well as the follow-up of legal claims in so far as this does not preclude legitimate interests of third parties.

Flossbach von Storch AG collects data on behalf of Flossbach von Storch Invest S.A. within the scope of data protection laws.

To ensure our business operations run smoothly, and to improve IT security, we rely on selected contract processors in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. This concerns customer relationship management, firewall/IT security, website hosting, postal mailing of publications and newsletter dispatch, amongst other things. The servers on which data is processed for these purposes are hosted in the EU. Individual service providers reserve the right to transmit data to the USA in some cases in order to ensure quality standards. According to the data protection regulations, which are part of the service contracts, the partners are certified and obliged to implement the GDPR standards within the framework of the Privacy Shield Frameworks EU-USA. We undertake to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures, taking into account the state of the art and implementation costs, in order to guarantee a level of security appropriate to the risk. This includes, amongst other things, pseudonymisation and encryption of personal data, depending on the relevance. Other data recipients may be entities for which you have released Flossbach von Storch Invest AG from its confidentiality obligations by declaration or consent.

Data transfers resulting from the use of cookies, analytical tools and social plug-ins can be found in the information stated in points 5 and 6.

5. The use of cookies and analytical tools

a) Some of our webpages use cookies. Cookies do not cause damage to your computer and do not contain viruses. Cookies are used to make our website more user-friendly, effective and secure. Cookies are small text files that your browser stores on your computer. Most of the cookies we use are called session cookies and are automatically deleted when your visit ends. Other cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them. These cookies allow us to recognise your browser when you visit us again. You can change your browser settings to be informed when cookies are stored and to accept cookies on a case-by-case basis, reject cookies in general or in specific cases, and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when your browser is closed. Deactivating cookies could limit the functionality of this website.

Follow the instructions given by the developer of your Internet browser to find out how to control, disable or erase some or all of the cookies:

Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/kb/196955

Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en 

Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-websitereferences  

Safari: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH17191?locale=de_LU&viewlocale=en_US

Opera: http://help.opera.com/Windows/10.00/en/cookies.html

b). The web analysis service Google Analytics (Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) also uses cookies. Cookies are text files that are saved on your computer and that enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information about your use of the website saved by the cookie is transferred to a Google server in the US and then saved on that server. More information regarding how Google Analytics uses your information can be found in Google’s data protection statement: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en

You can prevent the saving of cookies by activating the relevant preference in your browser software; we would like to inform you that, in case you object to the installation of or delete any analytics or profiling cookies, the possibility to use this website will not be jeopardized in any manner whatsoever. You may also prevent the transfer of the cookie and the information contained within it (this includes your IP address) to Google by clicking on the following link and downloading the browser plug-in: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en

You can prevent the collection of your data by Google Analytics by clicking on the following link. An “opt-out” cookie is created which prevents the collection of your data during future visits to the website: Click here to opt out of data collection by Google Analytics.

Regarding data processing strict standards have been implemented enshrined in applicable data protection law in the use of Google Analytics.

We would also like to draw your attention to the following points about Google Analytics:

• Google Analytics creates demographic profiles of site visitors regarding age, gender and interests. The provider receives this data from its interest-based advertising, as well as visitor data from third parties. An allocation to specific persons is not possible.
• Google Tag Manager uses simple website tags instead of cookies. No personal data is collected, but this tool may trigger other tags that may collect data which the Google Tag Manager does not access. https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

c) This website uses technology from Outbrain Inc. ("Outbrain", 39 W 13th Street New York, NY 10011 USA). This makes it possible to deliver targeted advertising to those Internet users who have already shown an interest in our offers on the pages of our partners, or to collect data about them. The technology depends on a cookie-based analysis of user behaviour. This advertising only appears on Outbrain ad spaces, either on Outbrain Engage ad spaces or the Outbrain Extended Network. The tracking pixel is only used on news articles.

If you do not wish to have interest-related advertising displayed to you, you can deactivate this function here.

6. The right to information and the right to object.

Pursuant to Articles 15-22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the “Regulation”), you have the right to access to your personal data (i.e. the right to obtain from us confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning you are being processed, and, where that is the case, to obtain access to the personal data, by obtaining a copy, and the information set forth in Section 15 of the Regulation, including information on the their origin, recipients, the purpose of data processing), as well as a right to rectification  (i.e. the right to obtain the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you or the integration of incomplete data), a right to erasure (i.e. the right to obtain the erasure of personal data concerning you, where one of the grounds listed in Section 17 of the Regulation applies) or a right to obtain the restriction of processing concerning you (i.e. the right to obtain, in the cases set forth in Section 18, that the data are marked in a way to limit the processing in the future). Data may only be deleted if there are no apparent legal or contractual obligations.

When the processing of your personal data is based on cookies (like in the case of the cookies), you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. The consent withdrawal will not affect the validity of the processing based on your consent before the withdrawal..

Right to object:  you have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on  the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller or in the controller’s legitimate interest, including profiling based on these legal basis,  Where personal data are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.  You can contact us at any time for further information about your personal data, or if you have any further questions regarding this matter.

In addition, you have the right to bring a complaint to the relevant supervisory authority of the EU Member State where you reside or work.