The verdict in three sentences
A Dubai mobile payments fintech website must win over merchants, banking and regulatory partners and developers at the same time, in Arabic and English. A useful specification turns each audience into measurable requirements such as load time, onboarding completion and support response, rather than wishes. With a clear template, a bilingual site with developer documentation is realistic in 8 to 16 weeks for 60,000 to 220,000 AED.
The template, section by section
| Specification section | Filled in by the fintech | Measurable requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Context and goals | Licence status, regulator, 12 month targets | E.g. 300 merchant sign ups a month by month 6 |
| Audiences and journeys | Merchants, partners, developers, investors | Key action within 3 clicks for each audience |
| Sitemap | Pages per segment | 15 to 25 pages, Arabic and English |
| Merchant onboarding | Fields, trade licence, Emirates ID, bank details | Completed in under 8 minutes, uploads up to 10 MB |
| Developer docs | Endpoints, auth, sandbox, webhooks | Code sample per endpoint, page under 2 seconds |
| Licence disclosure | Regulator name, licence number, entity name | Shown in footer and on every pricing page |
| Arabic and RTL | Full right to left layout | Every page mirrored, no untranslated UI strings |
| Support | Service level | Critical fix within 4 business hours |
Pages per segment
| Segment | Key pages | Mandatory content |
|---|---|---|
| Merchants | Home, pricing, onboarding, FAQ | Fee schedule, settlement times, demo video |
| Partners and regulators | Compliance, security, partners | Licence details, AML and KYC approach, certifications |
| Developers | API reference, sandbox, status page | Test keys, webhooks, error codes |
| Investors | About, leadership, key figures, press | Processed volume, active merchants, downloadable deck |
| All | Legal, privacy, cookies | UAE data protection compliance and complaint channel |
Licence disclosure deserves its own requirement: if your activity is licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, or by DFSA or FSRA in a financial free zone, the exact entity and licence reference should appear wherever fees or services are described.
Budget and timeline
| Item | Indicative budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Bilingual marketing site, 15 to 25 pages, RTL | 45,000 to 110,000 AED | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Merchant onboarding flow with uploads | 10,000 to 40,000 AED | 2 to 4 weeks, in parallel |
| Developer portal with sandbox | 15,000 to 70,000 AED | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Maintenance and monitoring | 2,000 to 6,000 AED a month | Ongoing |
| Total build | 60,000 to 220,000 AED | 8 to 16 weeks |
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Layla, co-founder of a Dubai fintech offering mobile payments to small retailers, targets 300 new merchants a month. Today sales reps onboard each merchant in person at around 180 AED per file. A 120,000 AED site with self service onboarding plus 4,000 AED a month of maintenance lets 50 % of merchants sign up alone, saving 150 files at 180 AED, or 27,000 AED a month. Net of maintenance, the build pays back in just over five months.
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FAQ
Must the site be fully in Arabic?
Not legally in every case, but Arabic builds trust with local merchants and regulators. Full RTL adds roughly 20 to 30 % to front end effort.
Should the API documentation be public?
A public reference with a sandbox shortens partner integrations. Production keys stay in an authenticated area.
How long does writing the specification take?
One to two weeks with this template, including two workshops of two hours with product and compliance.
What licence details must appear?
The licensed entity name, regulator and licence reference, visible on pricing and legal pages, which partners check in their due diligence.
Let's scope your project. Send us your completed template or first notes and we will refine the measurable requirements and price the site with a firm timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
