Oman centralizes mining: all licensed miners are required to connect to the national pool
The authorities of Oman have taken a decisive step towards consolidating cryptocurrency mining in the country. According to the new regulation, all licensed mining companies are required to connect to the national mining pool. The project is being implemented by Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology in collaboration with Frontier Technologies. Enegix Global has served as the key technology partner, providing the platform and liquidity infrastructure.
At the initial stage, the pool is expected to consolidate approximately 10 EH/s of computing power. This is a significant volume, placing Oman on par with major regional players in the Bitcoin mining sector. Such a high concentration of hashrate under the control of a single pool is an unprecedented move for the Middle East.
Billion-Dollar Infrastructure Investments
Since 2022, investments in mining and data centers in the Salalah Free Zone have exceeded $700 million. This amount includes, in particular, a hydro-cooled mining facility worth $370 million. Such investments indicate Oman's long-term strategy to transform into a regional hub for digital asset mining.
Analysis: This step demonstrates how sovereign states are beginning to actively regulate and centralize the mining industry. On one hand, a national pool increases transparency and control over energy consumption. On the other hand, it is a direct challenge to the decentralized nature of Bitcoin. Oman is essentially creating a state mining cartel, which could set a precedent for other Gulf countries. In the short term, this will strengthen the country's position on the global hashrate map, but in the long term, it may lead to excessive dependence on the decisions of a single regulator.