Oman
Is crypto legal in Oman? (2026)
Yes — cryptocurrency activity is permitted under a registration regime in Oman. Current status: Registration regime; full framework pending. Oversight sits with Financial Services Authority (ex-CMA) · Central Bank of Oman. Full details — governing law, licensing, tax and dated enforcement history — follow below (last reviewed 2026-07-14).
Legal status
Primary regulator
Stablecoin status
Framework: Capital Market Authority Decision No. E/35/2023 (VASP registration + AML/CFT instructions) as the first step toward a comprehensive Virtual Assets Regulatory Framework, publicly consulted 27 July–17 August 2023 and still pending adoption. Royal Decree 20/2024 replaced the CMA with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) from 25 March 2024, transferring all its assets, rights and obligations.
Oman currently runs a registration-first regime rather than full licensing. Under Decision No. E/35/2023, Omani legal entities and natural persons conducting virtual-asset services — exchange between virtual assets and fiat, transfers, safekeeping/administration, and participation in related financial services — must register with the FSA, which must decide on applications within one month. The then-CMA appointed XReg Consulting and Omani law firm SASLO to design the comprehensive framework covering licensing and supervision of VASPs; regulatory trackers still list it in consultation-processing status with no published adoption date. The Central Bank of Oman does not recognise cryptocurrencies as legal tender and said in a 2020 cautionary notice that no licences had been issued to digital-asset service providers. In parallel, the state has embraced crypto mining: the government licensed Green Data City and Exahertz to run crypto-mining and data-centre operations near Salalah, and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and IT launched Exahertz's Salalah facility on 13 August 2023 (first phase around 11 MW, with build-out toward 15,000 machines); Green Data City has been allocated 400 MW, with total Salalah Free Zone mining and data-centre investment reported above US$700 million.
Tax treatment
DeFi Intel has not verified crypto-specific tax guidance for Oman this cycle. Registered VASP activity sits under FSA AML/CFT instructions rather than a bespoke crypto tax code.
- Capital-gains rate (crypto-specific): Pending verification
- Holding-period rule: Pending verification
Travel rule applicability
Status: AML/CFT registration regime. Decision No. E/35/2023 pairs VASP registration with implementation of anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism-financing instructions. Specific FATF travel-rule transfer-data thresholds are pending verification until the full framework is issued.
Notable enforcement actions
- 2020. The Central Bank of Oman issued a cautionary notice that it does not recognise cryptocurrencies as legal tender and that no digital-asset service providers had been licensed.
- 2023. Decision No. E/35/2023 made registration with the regulator (now the FSA) mandatory for anyone providing virtual-asset services in the Sultanate.
- 2023. The state licensed and publicly launched large-scale crypto-mining facilities near Salalah (Exahertz, Green Data City) — a deliberate industrial-policy bet alongside the pending framework.
Public licensed CASP list
Oman has no full CASP licensing register yet — VASPs register with the FSA under Decision No. E/35/2023, and a public register of registered providers is pending verification. On the mining side, Green Data City and Exahertz are the two government-licensed operators reported in the Salalah area. Consult the FSA (fsa.gov.om) for current registration status.
Comparison to neighbours
Compare Oman crypto regulation with three geographically adjacent jurisdictions:
Doing business in Oman — practical notes
Anyone offering virtual-asset services to Oman residents must first register with the FSA and implement its AML/CFT instructions; the comprehensive licensing framework consulted in 2023 has not yet been adopted, so expect the rulebook to change materially when it lands. Crypto is not legal tender and the banking regulator remains cautious. Mining investment has so far been routed through licensed Salalah Free Zone projects rather than a general permitting regime — verify current FSA guidance before structuring.
Methodology and sources
This profile was researched and updated by DeFi Intel's research desk on 2026-07-14 from the primary and secondary sources listed below. Claims that could not be verified against a source are omitted or marked pending — we do not republish unverified third-party datasets. Submit corrections and primary-source links to research@defi-intel.com.
Sources
- Financial Services Authority (Oman) — Virtual Assets Regulatory Framework
- Addleshaw Goddard — Overview of crypto in Oman (2025)
- Digital Policy Alert — Oman Virtual Assets Regulatory Framework consultation timeline
- Trowers & Hamlins — Royal Decree 20/2024 establishing the FSA
- Hashrate Index — Bitcoin mining in Oman (Green Data City, Exahertz)
- DCD — Salalah data-hosting and crypto-mining centre launch (Aug 2023)
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Frequently asked questions
Is cryptocurrency legal in Oman in 2026?
Yes, cryptocurrency activity is permitted under a registration regime in Oman, with oversight by the Financial Services Authority and the Central Bank of Oman.
What is the primary regulation for VASPs in Oman?
The primary regulation is Capital Market Authority Decision No. E/35/2023, which requires Omani legal entities and natural persons conducting virtual-asset services to register with the Financial Services Authority.
Has Oman licensed any crypto mining operations?
Yes, the government licensed Green Data City and Exahertz to run crypto-mining and data-centre operations near Salalah, with total investment in the Salalah Free Zone reported above US$700 million.