Oman unites miners: licensed companies are required to operate through a state 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 Bitcoin miners are required to join. Enegix Global provided the technological foundation and liquidity infrastructure for the project.
This decision fundamentally changes the rules of the game for local miners. They will no longer be able to independently choose pools for their operations — the state is taking full control of this process. At the initial stage, the pool's combined capacity is expected to reach approximately 10 EH/s, placing Oman on par with notable regional players in the industry.
Billion-dollar investments in infrastructure
Notably, Oman is not just introducing regulatory restrictions but is also actively investing in the sector. Since 2022, capital investments in mining and data centers in the Salalah Free Economic Zone have exceeded $700 million. Of particular note is the launch of a mining facility with a hydro-cooling system costing $370 million — one of the largest such facilities in the region.
The formation of a national pool at this level of investment appears to be a logical step: the state aims to maximize the economic returns from the growing sector by controlling hash rate distribution and fee collection.
Cryptalist Analysis: Oman's initiative is a vivid example of how Middle Eastern countries are beginning to take a systematic approach to regulating mining. On one hand, centralizing the pool reduces risks for miners (stable payouts, legal protection); on the other hand, it deprives them of flexibility and sets a precedent for full state control over the industry. If the model proves successful, other oil-producing Gulf monarchies may adopt it, fundamentally reshaping the global distribution of Bitcoin hash rate.