Oman centralizes mining: a national pool becomes mandatory for all licensed miners.
A sovereign approach to regulating the cryptocurrency industry is gaining momentum in the Middle East. Oman has launched a national mining pool that all licensed digital asset miners in the country are required to join. This decision, initiated by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology in collaboration with Frontier Technologies, marks a new stage in state control over mining infrastructure.
The technology platform and liquidity infrastructure for the pool were provided by Enegix Global. In its initial phase, the combined pool is expected to consolidate approximately 10 EH/s of computing power. This is comparable to the capacity of a medium-sized world-class mining data center, indicating Oman's serious ambitions in the sector.
Investment Boom in the Salalah Region
Since 2022, the volume of investments in mining and related data center infrastructure in the Salalah Free Zone has exceeded $700 million. A key project is a $370 million hydro-cooled mining facility. Such investments demonstrate that Oman aims not only to regulate but also to actively develop its own hashrate, creating a closed ecosystem.
Mandatory connection to the state pool is an unprecedented step for the region. It allows authorities not only to monitor miners' activity but also potentially influence the distribution of block rewards. For market participants, this means a loss of flexibility in choosing a pool, but in return offers stability and transparency within the national jurisdiction.
Analyst's comment: From my perspective, Oman is choosing the path of "digital sovereignty" in mining, following trends set by some Central Asian republics. However, the key risk here is a decline in mining efficiency if the state pool cannot offer competitive fees compared to global players. We are watching what share of the 10 EH/s will actually be provided by local licensed miners.