Oman unites miners: licensed companies are required to operate through the national pool
Oman has taken a decisive step toward centralizing cryptocurrency mining. The country's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, together with Frontier Technologies, has launched a national mining pool that all licensed digital asset miners are now required to join. Enegix Global provided the technological platform and liquidity infrastructure for the project.
This decision marks a shift from fragmented private operations to a unified, state-coordinated system. At the initial stage, the pool is expected to consolidate approximately 10 EH/s of computing power — a solid figure for a region rapidly expanding its presence in the global mining ecosystem.
Billion-dollar investments in infrastructure
Since 2022, investments in mining and related data center infrastructure in the Salalah Free Zone have exceeded $700 million. Key projects include a $370 million hydro-cooled mining facility. Such scale indicates that Oman views cryptocurrency mining not as a speculative hobby, but as a strategic economic sector.
The national pool gives regulators direct control over hash rate distribution and revenue flows. For miners, this means reduced operational risks but also a loss of flexibility in choosing pools and strategies. At a time when major players like Marathon Digital and Riot Platforms are diversifying their capacities across different jurisdictions, Oman offers an alternative: stability in exchange for centralization.
Expert opinion: This move could become a model for other Middle Eastern and African countries seeking to monetize cheap energy through mining. However, mandatory connection to a state-run pool raises questions about the long-term attractiveness of the jurisdiction for independent operators who value freedom of choice and decentralization.