The verdict in three sentences
A custom shareholder portal for a family holding company with 12 subsidiaries and 60 shareholders in London costs GBP 20,000 to 40,000 excl. VAT in 2026 (the Casablanca equivalent costs 250,000 to 500,000 MAD), delivered in 3 to 4 months. It replaces emailed notices, uncontrolled PDFs and scanned proxies with a single space featuring two-factor authentication, named watermarks and electronic voting. Compliance with UK GDPR and the Companies Act 2006 rules on electronic communications is part of the scoping from day one, not a step bolted on at the end.
Why the holding needs a portal
The company secretary of a family holding runs 2 general meetings at holding level each year, 12 subsidiary meetings, about ten board meetings, and the circulation of financial statements to 60 shareholders spread across London, Edinburgh, Geneva and Dubai. Documents go out by email, get forwarded, and nobody knows who read what.
| Current problem | Consequence | Portal answer |
|---|---|---|
| Emailed notices without receipt | Possible challenge on statutory notice | Tracked delivery, timestamped read receipt |
| Financial statements forwarded outside the circle | Sensitive information leaks | Named watermark, restricted downloads |
| Scanned and WhatsApp proxies | Quorum hard to verify | Electronic proxies, automatic quorum count |
| Paper minutes filed in an office | Slow search, risk of loss | Digital register indexed by company and year |
| Shareholders abroad | Low meeting turnout | Remote voting and built-in video link |
| Different rights per subsidiary | Distribution errors | Profiles per company and share class |
Features and price in 2026
| Module | Content | 2026 price (GBP excl. VAT) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secure foundation | Accounts, 2FA, profiles per subsidiary | 5,000 to 8,000 | 4 weeks |
| Document data room | Filing, dynamic watermark, access log | 4,000 to 7,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Meetings and boards | Notices, agendas, proxies, quorum | 4,000 to 9,000 | 4 weeks |
| Electronic voting | Vote per resolution, automatic minutes | 3,000 to 7,000 | 3 weeks |
| Share register | Transfers, share classes, history | 2,500 to 5,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| UK GDPR compliance | Records of processing, DPIA, retention policy | 1,500 to 4,000 | in parallel |
A foundation, data room and meetings release runs GBP 20,000 to 26,000. With electronic voting, share register and e-signed minutes, the budget reaches GBP 34,000 to 40,000. Maintenance (UK or EU hosting, backups, security updates, support) costs GBP 650 to 1,200 a month.
Security and compliance: what to write into the specification
UK GDPR requires a lawful basis, a record of processing and, given the sensitivity of financial data, usually a DPIA. The Companies Act 2006 allows electronic notices and communications when shareholders have agreed or the articles provide for it. Require: 2FA via authenticator app or SMS, encryption of documents at rest, an access log kept for 5 years, watermarks showing name and viewing date, a penetration test before go-live (GBP 3,500 to 6,000), and an immediate access revocation procedure when shares are transferred. The validity of electronic voting must be covered in the articles of association: an amendment, to be checked with your solicitor, often precedes go-live.
Mini case study
James, company secretary of a family holding in London, runs 14 general meetings and 10 board meetings a year. Each meeting currently takes about 3 days of legal secretariat work (printing, mailing, chasing, collecting proxies, drafting minutes), 72 days a year. At GBP 380 fully loaded daily cost, that is GBP 27,400 a year, plus about GBP 2,500 of recorded post and travel. He chooses a GBP 30,000 release with electronic voting and GBP 900 a month of maintenance. Assumption: time per meeting drops to 1 day. Gain: GBP 18,200 of time and GBP 2,000 of costs, GBP 20,200 a year against GBP 10,800 of annual maintenance. The direct financial gain is modest: the decision is justified mainly by lower challenge risk and by turnout of overseas shareholders, which rose from 40 to 85% during the pilot.
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FAQ
Is electronic voting valid for a UK company meeting?
Yes, if the articles allow it and shareholder identification is reliable. Allow for an amendment to the articles and 2 to 4 weeks with your legal adviser before the first online meeting.
Where should shareholder data be hosted?
UK hosting is simplest. EU hosting also works thanks to the UK adequacy decision; other regions require transfer safeguards to document, typically 2 to 6 weeks of legal work.
Can a shareholder print or forward a document?
They can view, and download if you allow it, but every copy carries a watermark with their name and date. The log records each view for 5 years.
How many shareholders and subsidiaries can the portal handle?
The architecture comfortably supports hundreds of users and dozens of companies. Adding a subsidiary takes the administrator under an hour.
Can we start without electronic voting?
Yes, the foundation, data room and meetings release from GBP 20,000 ships in 3 months. Electronic voting is added later for GBP 3,000 to 7,000.
Let's scope your project. Tell us how many companies and shareholders you have and your meeting calendar: we will price a portal between GBP 20,000 and 40,000 with a 3 to 4 month plan. 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.
