The verdict in three sentences
A multilingual EN/AR banking corporate website with RTL support, compliant and secured, costs between 350,000 and 900,000 MAD (currency retained for consistency) in Dubai in 2026, delivered in 12 to 18 weeks. Arabic RTL support, CSP headers and the security audit are not optional: they account for up to 30% of the budget. Add a contractual maintenance retainer and a 99.9% SLA, without which no banking group ships a site to production.
Budget per tier
A banking CIO buys compliance and availability before design. Here is the 2026 order of magnitude in MAD net.
| Tier | Scope | Price MAD net | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Standard | 20-30 pages, EN/local | 350,000 - 480,000 | 12-14 wks |
| Corporate Premium | + AR/RTL, secure client area | 520,000 - 700,000 | 14-16 wks |
| Banking group | Multi-entity, partner portal | 750,000 - 900,000+ | 16-18 wks |
| Extra language | Structure + integrated translation | +45,000 - 90,000 | +2-3 wks |
| Security audit + pentest | CSP, WAF, penetration tests | +55,000 - 120,000 | +2 wks |
The real cost of multilingual and RTL
Adding Arabic is not translating text: it means mirroring the entire layout (RTL), handling fonts, numerals and mirrored components. It is the most underestimated item.
| Multilingual item | 2026 range | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Full RTL support (AR) | 60,000 - 120,000 MAD | mirrored layout, components |
| Translation EN->local | 25,000 - 55,000 MAD | 30-50 pages |
| Translation EN->AR | 35,000 - 70,000 MAD | native proofreading |
| Editorial management 3 langs | +18% of build | per-language workflow |
| Licensed AR fonts | 8,000 - 20,000 MAD/yr | web license |
Security, compliance and SLA
A banking group stakes its reputation: security and data-protection compliance are contractual and audited every year.
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| Security/compliance item | 2026 range | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| CSP headers + hardening | 30,000 - 70,000 MAD | one-off build |
| Annual security audit | 55,000 - 120,000 MAD/yr | pentest + report |
| Data-protection compliance | 40,000 - 90,000 MAD | register, notices |
| Redundant regional hosting | 60,000 - 150,000 MAD/yr | EU or regional |
| 99.9% SLA + 24/7 monitoring | 45,000 - 110,000 MAD/yr | on-call |
Mini case study
Ms. El Fassi, CIO of a banking group in Dubai, wants an EN/AR site with a secure client area. Selected: Corporate Premium at 640,000 MAD net over 15 weeks, including 95,000 MAD of RTL support and 80,000 MAD of security/audit. The 99.9% SLA and maintenance come to 175,000 MAD/yr. Over 3 years, total cost 640,000 + 525,000 = 1,165,000 MAD net. By centralizing 4 branch mini-sites and automating regulatory publishing, the comms team saves about 900 hours/yr (~180,000 MAD of internal cost), paying back maintenance from year two.
FAQ
Why is Arabic RTL so expensive? Because the entire layout must be mirrored, every component adapted, numerals handled and web fonts licensed. Budget 60,000 to 120,000 MAD for clean, full RTL support.
Must the site be hosted regionally? Not mandatory, but redundant regional hosting reduces latency and eases compliance. Budget 60,000 to 150,000 MAD/yr for a highly available setup.
What does the annual security audit include? Penetration tests, CSP header checks, access review and a remediation report. Budget 55,000 to 120,000 MAD/yr, mandatory for a banking player.
How much for an extra language? Between 45,000 and 90,000 MAD depending on content volume and reading direction (RTL costs more). The per-language editorial workflow adds about 18% to the build.
What SLA should we target? 99.9% availability with 24/7 monitoring and on-call, i.e. 45,000 to 110,000 MAD/yr. Below that, a banking group faces uncontrolled reputational risk.
Let's scope your project. Specify languages (EN/AR/local), the need for a secure client area and the SLA level: we will frame a scope and an indicative budget between 350,000 and 900,000 MAD net. 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.
