Oman has mandated licensed miners to join the state pool — a new era of regulation
Oman has taken a decisive step toward centralizing cryptocurrency mining by launching its first national mining pool. All licensed miners in the country are required to connect to this infrastructure. The project was implemented by Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology with the participation of Frontier Technologies, while Enegix Global provided the technological platform and liquidity infrastructure.
At the initial stage, the pool plans to consolidate approximately 10 EH/s of computing power. This is a significant figure that places Oman among notable players on the global mining map. Since 2022, investments in mining and data centers in the Salalah Free Zone have exceeded $700 million, including a unique hydro-cooled facility worth $370 million.
This move is a logical continuation of Oman's strategy to attract capital to infrastructure projects. The state-run pool allows for control over power distribution, increased operational transparency, and, importantly, stability of the national energy grid. However, for miners, this means a loss of flexibility: previously they could choose pools with the best terms, but now they are forced to operate within a single platform.
In my view, this case demonstrates how small Middle Eastern countries are trying to carve out a niche in the crypto industry by leveraging administrative resources. Success will depend on how effectively the pool can compete with private international platforms in terms of fees and transaction processing speed.