Oman has introduced a new national Bitcoin mining pool called OmanHash. All licensed digital asset miners in the country must now use this pool. This makes Oman one of the first countries to place Bitcoin mining under direct government oversight.

The project was launched by Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) together with Frontier Technologies LLC, an Omani blockchain company. Under the new rules, OmanHash is the only legal mining pool for licensed miners in the country.

Bitcoin mining is the process of using powerful computers to help run the Bitcoin network and earn rewards in bitcoin. Usually, miners join mining pools to combine computing power and receive more regular payouts. In most countries, miners can choose which pool to join.

But in Oman, things have become a little different. Instead of allowing miners to choose freely, the government requires all licensed miners to direct their computing power into one official pool. It seems like the goal for the Omani government is to create a more organized and transparent mining industry.

The technology behind OmanHash was provided by Enegix Global, a company that works in digital energy and infrastructure. Frontier Technologies handles local operations inside Oman.

The new pool is expected to gather around 10 exahashes per second (EH/s) in its first stage. “Hashes per second” is a measurement of computing power used for Bitcoin mining. A higher hashrate means more and stronger machines are working to secure the network.

By bringing mining into one national pool, regulators can more easily track mining activity. This includes monitoring mining output, revenue, energy use, and newly created bitcoin.

Enegix says this project is an important milestone for the company. Oman is the second country where Enegix has helped create a government-approved mining pool. The first was btcpool.kz in Kazakhstan.

Olzhas Amirov, chief business development officer at Enegix Global, said the Oman project supports the company’s approach to regulated mining.

“This is our second sovereign mandate, and it validates the model we have been building since Kazakhstan,” Amirov said.

He also said that clear rules can help miners operate legally, reduce tax uncertainty, and improve communication with government authorities. With OmanHash added, Enegix says it now manages about 25 EH/s across three mining pools. The company’s next goal is to reach 30 EH/s.

Another Enegix executive, Yersaiyn Nurtoleuov, said, “Our target is 30 EH/s — and we are actively building the infrastructure and partnerships to get there.”

Oman’s mining industry has grown quickly in recent years. Since 2022, more than $700 million has been invested in mining and data center projects in the Salalah Free Zone.

The Salalah Free Zone (SFZ) is a premier industrial, manufacturing, and logistics hub in the Sultanate of Oman, managed as part of the state-owned Asyad Group.

Large facilities were developed as part of the country’s digital expansion plans. This growth supports Oman Vision 2040, a national strategy designed to reduce dependence on oil and build new industries. The plan includes investment in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, data centers, and blockchain technology.

Even though digital assets are not legal tender in Oman, regulated mining is allowed and supported by the government.

Supporters believe the national pool model brings stability and makes it easier for businesses to operate under clear rules.

Critics see risks as well. In most countries, miners choose their own pools based on performance, fees, and trust. Under Oman’s system, licensed miners lose that freedom.

Some observers also worry that putting mining into one government-linked system increases centralization in an industry built around decentralization.

This also creates a risk of transaction censorship. A centralized, government-controlled mining pool can choose which transactions to include in its blocks and which to exclude.

Others argue the risks are limited because mining pools do not own miners’ machines. Miners can still move their operations or leave the system if conditions change.