Secure Funder Launches, Charter Members Join To Establish Data Protection Standards in Alternative Finance

The industry’s first independent certification program launches with strong early participation and invites additional funders to come forward.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, April 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Secure Funder™, an independent initiative for the business finance industry, today announced its official launch with close to a dozen charter member applicants. The launch marks the introduction of the first formal and voluntary standard for managing and protecting customer data.

The charter members —which include Kalamata Capital, BriteCap Financial, Breakout Finance, and several others — are the first participants of the program, each committing to safe data-handling practices. Initial applicants have not yet been verified or certified. Organizations are provided a 90-day grace period to ensure compatibility with program requirements and schedule their verification session. The Secure Funder directory will clearly distinguish pending applicants from verified participants through each organization’s displayed certification status.

Participation reflects the need for a structured, third-party validation system that certifies whether a company securely and responsibly handles customer data. Through this launch, Secure Funder is signaling to the industry that transparency and accountability matter — and that these companies are willing to lead by example.

“Our charter members didn’t wait for someone else to go first,” said Christina Duncan, Director of Secure Funder. “At a time when the industry still runs largely on trust, these organizations made the decision to make that trust visible. That kind of leadership is exactly what this space has been missing. This is something brokers have wanted for a long time.”

In alternative finance, there is no shared standard governing how private information is stored, who can access it, or what safeguards are in place to reduce the risk of misuse. The absence of such standards has contributed to distrust, heightened concerns around unauthorized sharing and unnecessary exposure of sensitive merchant information.

Secure Funder’s verification process is non-invasive and does not require software integration or access to company systems. The review is conducted through a live screenshare session designed to independently assess how each organization manages document intake and storage, and system access and permissions. The program is designed to evolve alongside emerging industry regulation and compliance expectations, helping participating companies stay ahead of shifting standards.

Members will be listed in a public directory and accessible through the Aquamark broker portal, a trusted industry solution for document watermarking used by more than 200 brokers. Participating companies will also be highlighted through industry events sponsored by the program.

As an early sign of market validation, Secure Funder was recently contacted by private investment banks and other capital providers interested in inviting members to explore credit facilities of up to $100 million.

Secure Funder is now accepting membership applications from companies of all sizes. The more companies that commit to stronger safeguards, the faster change can take hold across the industry.

To learn more, visit securefunder.org

Christina Duncan
Secure Funder
+1 415-500-1117
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