The government has decided to scrap the existing online platform to manage the details of foreign workers in the Maldives and signed an agreement with a Malaysian company to design and manage a new system.

The government has not yet announced the signing of the agreement. However, Adhadhu has learned that the agreement was signed with Malaysia's Bestinet Sdn Bhd. The company will receive payments at the rate of USD 100 per foreign worker.

According to the latest census, there are more than 132,000 foreigners living in the Maldives. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates the number to be more than 200,000 including undocumented workers.

Based on these figures, Bestinet would receive an annual payment of USD 13.2 million (MVR 203 million) if the number of foreign workers is 132,000 and USD 20 million (MVR 308 million) if the number of foreign workers is 200,000.

The government has not officially announced the signing of the agreement. But some sources confirmed to Adhadhu that such an agreement had been signed.

The company that will be entrusted with the design and management of the expat system in Maldives also developed the online system that manages data related to foreign workers in Malaysia.

Some companies that deal with foreign workers told Adhadhu that the existing platform does not have any issues and was designed in a way that can be upgraded and fixed in case of issues.