Oman centralizes mining: all licensed miners are required to operate through a state pool.
Oman is taking a decisive step in regulating cryptocurrency mining by launching a national mining pool. Now, all licensed digital asset miners in the country are required to connect to this pool, effectively creating a centralized point of control over the industry. The project was implemented by Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology in collaboration with Frontier Technologies, with the technology platform and liquidity infrastructure provided by Enegix Global.
Scale and Investments
At the initial stage, the pool is expected to aggregate approximately 10 EH/s of computing power — a significant figure for the region. Since 2022, investments in mining and related data center infrastructure in the Salalah Free Zone have exceeded $700 million. Particularly noteworthy is the $370 million hydro-cooled mining facility, one of the largest projects of its kind in the Middle East.
Analytical Commentary
Oman's initiative is not merely a technical innovation but a strategic move to establish a state-controlled mining hub. Consolidating hashrate in a national pool gives authorities the ability to monitor transactions, influence reward distribution, and, importantly, control energy consumption. However, such centralization carries risks: reduced competition among pools and potential single points of failure for the country's entire mining ecosystem. In the long term, Oman could serve as a model for other Middle Eastern monarchies seeking total control over the crypto industry.