Client website
Davinnette Forex Bureau
A rebuild of the website for Davinnette Forex Bureau, a licensed Kampala bureau trading since 1996, replacing its old WordPress site. Visitors pick their branch, check the day's buy and sell rates for 11 currencies, work out what an exchange will cost, and message the bureau on WhatsApp in one tap.
- Role
- Design and development (solo)
- Year
- 2026
- Type
- Client website
- Built with
- HTML, CSS & JavaScript, GSAP, Structured data, Local SEO
The context
Davinnette Forex Bureau has exchanged money in central Kampala since 1996. It is licensed by the Bank of Uganda, supervised by the Financial Intelligence Authority, and runs two branches: one in the Grand Imperial Hotel on Colville Street, opposite the Bank of Uganda, and one at Nyumba Kubwa behind King Fahad Plaza. As well as currency, the counters handle Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria and Altras transfers, agency banking for 19 banks, and MTN and Airtel mobile money. Its old site ran on WordPress. The brief was a faster, clearer site that works like the counter does: tell people the rate, which branch to go to, and what to bring.
What I built
- A new site replacing the old WordPress one, on the bureau's existing hosting: home, about, services, rates, gallery and contact pages, plus a page for each of the seven services.
- A rate board for 11 currencies, with separate rates for large and small US dollar bills, and a converter that works out what an exchange will cost in shillings.
- A branch picker with each branch's address, phone number, directions and opening hours, plus a live status that says which branches are open right now and when they close.
- A "Confirm this rate on WhatsApp" button under the converter, Call and WhatsApp buttons throughout, and a Call, WhatsApp and Directions bar pinned to the bottom of the screen on phones.
- Search groundwork: page titles and descriptions written for Kampala searches, structured data describing both branches, their hours and the FAQ, and Google Search Console set up on the business's own account.
- Scroll animations with GSAP (ScrollTrigger and SplitText) for headings and sections.
Decisions
Rates in the page, not loaded afterwards
The rates are written into the HTML when the page is served, instead of being fetched by JavaScript after it loads. They appear instantly on slow phones and search engines can read them. This fixes the same weakness I found in my earlier Dhahab site, where the rate board only appeared once JavaScript had run.
Two branches, one clear choice
The branches keep different hours, so the site asks "Which branch?" early and shows the right address, phone number and opening times for each, rather than mixing both into one block.
Honest about the rate
The board says the rates are indicative and move through the day, and that the teller confirms the final rate before you pay. Being upfront about that builds more trust than a number that turns out to be wrong at the counter.
Thirty years of trust, shown not told
The Bank of Uganda licence, Financial Intelligence Authority supervision, membership of the Uganda Forex Bureau Association and real photos of the staff and branches are all on the page, because customers are about to hand over cash.
Result
Launched on 29 September 2026 at davinnetteforex.com, replacing the old WordPress site.
Next project
Dhahab International Forex Bureau
Or say hello at shaadssem@gmail.com