finance-fintech · web-design

Saqr UAE - fintech website and design system for startups

Saqr UAE is the United Arab Emirates edition of our fictional business-banking platform, localised for founders building from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Saqr UAE is the United Arab Emirates edition of our fictional business-banking platform, localised for founders building from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The copy speaks the market's language: current accounts, cheques, IBANs, UAEFTS transfers, end-of-service gratuity and VAT. It follows the UAE PDPL and, inside the DIFC, the DIFC Data Protection Law 2020.

Project facts

Client: Saqr FZ-LLC (fictional)
Sector: Fintech · B2B banking · SaaS
Markets: The UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the free zones (DIFC, ADGM), with founders based worldwide
Services: Market localisation · Copywriting · Brand adaptation · Fintech website design · Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA) · SEO foundations
Templates: 10 page templates shared with every Saqr edition
Stack: Hand-built HTML, CSS and vanilla JavaScript; one strings file and one theme file per market

The brief

Premium, hospitable and built for the Emirates

Founders in the UAE compare current accounts, corporate cards, treasury and payments, and they need the details to match local practice: AED pricing, IBANs, UAEFTS, VAT and gratuity. The voice is formal-warm and premium, with sand, champagne gold and night teal replacing the US spruce and brass. The site is built for DIFC and ADGM entities, LLCs and free-zone companies, and it keeps the same 10-template system so new markets can launch from one codebase.

Designing for the UAE

What actually changed between the US and this edition

Story - US edition: US business banking for startups · UAE: UAE business banking for startups, with DIFC and ADGM entities
Currency - US edition: $2,481,906.42 balance · UAE: AED 2,481,906.42 balance; AED pricing throughout
Institutions - US edition: FDIC, SEC, IRS, ACH, routing number, SSN · UAE: UAE Central Bank deposit protection, SCA, FTA, UAEFTS, IBAN, Emirates ID
Products - US edition: Checking account, checks, 401(k) · UAE: Current account, cheques, end-of-service gratuity
Tax - US edition: Sales tax · UAE: VAT at 5%, prices shown VAT-inclusive
Places - US edition: San Francisco, New York, Silicon Valley · UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, DIFC
Legal - US edition: US privacy and fair dealing · UAE: UAE PDPL and DIFC Data Protection Law 2020; trade licence in footer
Look - US edition: Spruce, linen, brass; Fraunces + Hanken Grotesk · UAE: Sand, champagne gold and night teal; Sora + Manrope

Brand adaptation

The same Saqr, with a local accent

Night teal carries the interface and champagne gold adds a premium accent to italics, with a lighter gold on dark panels. Sora brings grand, precise display type; Manrope keeps the interface crisp. Corners stay sharp for a tailored feel, and the wordmark keeps Saqr. Arabic typefaces are not yet chosen for this edition, but the system supports right-to-left layouts for a future ar-AE launch.

Homepage and key journeys

The homepage opens with a live balance card showing AED 2,481,906.42, recent transactions and a corporate card with a moving sheen. The hero asks founders to open a current account, and the product sections cover current account and savings, cards, treasury and payments. The most distinctive flow is the founders page: it explains that you can start an application pre-incorporation and finish it once your Trade licence number arrives, and it answers whether non-UAE founders can apply (yes, if the company is registered in the UAE).

Compliance, accessibility and trust

Privacy policy under the UAE PDPL (Federal Decree-Law 45/2021) and, within the DIFC, the DIFC Data Protection Law 2020, including Emirates ID and identity-verification data.
Prices are shown in AED and include VAT at 5%; the site notes that Saqr is a fictional portfolio concept.
Passes automated WCAG 2.2 AA checks on every page at 360, 390, 768 and 1440 px: no contrast failures, no unreachable controls, no horizontal scrolling.
A language switcher built from hreflang sits in the header on desktop and in the footer on phones.

One system, twelve markets

Every visible string lives in one file per market, and every colour and typeface in one theme file. This edition needed no new templates or components: a strings file, a theme, regional photography and local legal content made it a different brand experience. For a fintech company with international plans, a new market becomes a content project rather than a rebuild.

Deliverables

Market profile: language, formats, legal and seasonality
Full localised copy across 10 templates, header, footer and forms
Brand adaptation: palette, type pairing and logo descriptor
10 regional photographs (Pexels, credited in credits.json)
Local legal content
Accessibility pass (WCAG 2.2 AA, automated) and QA at four screen widths
Portfolio media: stills, full-page captures, scroll video, OG image, brand board

FAQ

What should a UAE fintech website include?

AED pricing with VAT stated, current-account and treasury explanations, IBAN and UAEFTS details, DIFC and ADGM entity support, and PDPL-compliant consent.

Is the UAE edition ready for Arabic?

The system supports right-to-left layouts, but Arabic typefaces have not been chosen for this edition yet. The content file is written in British English for the UAE market.

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