Oman centralizes mining: all licensed miners are required to operate through a national pool.
Oman is taking a decisive step toward state regulation of cryptocurrency mining. The country's authorities have launched a national mining pool, which all licensed digital asset miners are required to join. The project is implemented under the auspices of Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology in partnership with Frontier Technologies, with the technology platform and liquidity infrastructure provided by Enegix Global.
At the initial stage, the pool will consolidate about 10 EH/s of hashrate — comparable to the capacities of medium-sized global mining giants. Since 2022, total investment in mining and data centers in the Salalah Free Zone has exceeded $700 million. Key projects include a $370 million hydro-cooled mining farm, signaling Oman's serious intentions to establish itself on the global cryptocurrency mining map.
Why is this important?
Creating a national pool is not just a technical innovation. It is a signal that Oman seeks to control the flow of computing power and liquidity, minimizing capital flight risks and ensuring operational transparency. For licensed miners, this means losing flexibility in choosing pools, but in return — stability and state support.
As an analyst, I view this step as part of a broader trend: Middle Eastern countries are actively institutionalizing mining, transforming it from a gray area into a full-fledged economic sector. If Oman can effectively scale the pool to 20–30 EH/s in the next couple of years, it risks becoming one of the key regulatory hubs for Bitcoin mining in the region. However, success will depend on how flexible the conditions for participants turn out to be and whether the mandatory nature of the pool will deter private investors.