UAE’s Bitcoin Mining Role Emerges Alongside Satoshi-Era Shift

• UAE uses surplus natural gas for Bitcoin mining operations.
• Multiple governments, including El Salvador and Bhutan, continue mining Bitcoin using national energy resources.
• A Satoshi-era miner moved 2,000 BTC to Coinbase, marking rare activity from early Bitcoin holdings.

The United Arab Emirates has formally aligned itself with a small but growing group of countries that treat Bitcoin mining as state-linked infrastructure. At the same time, a long-dormant miner from the early days of the network has moved $181 million worth of BTC.

Recent announcements circulating on social media state that the UAE government now sponsors Bitcoin mining operations powered by the country’s large natural gas supply. Binance founder CZ commented that the UAE “has been mining for a while,” adding that the country’s peak energy demand lasts only three days in the summer and that capacity covers that period, leaving surplus energy for the rest of the year that is partly converted into Bitcoin.

Arkham Intelligence reported in August 2025 that the UAE had accumulated roughly 6,300–6,450 BTC, valued at about $700 million at the time, through state-backed mining conducted via Citadel Mining. The country considers Bitcoin mining part of its strategic infrastructure, placing it in the same category as data centers, telecoms, and energy projects.

Policy across the federation is not uniform. In September 2025, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi banned crypto mining on agricultural land and introduced fines of up to AED 100,000 for violations to protect energy resources and land-use rules.

Reports also note that governments in El Salvador, Bhutan, Japan, Russia, and Iran are involved in or sponsor Bitcoin mining in different forms. El Salvador, which adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021 before reversing that step in 2025, still holds 7,517 BTC and has mined 474 BTC over the past three years, utilizing geothermal power from volcanoes.

Bhutan disclosed in 2023 that it had secretly mined Bitcoin since 2018, producing an estimated 55–75 BTC per week, and used the proceeds to help fund civil servant salaries and public services. Ethiopia has agreements with international miners to utilize surplus hydroelectric power, while Iran legalized mining at the state level in 2019. However, it later shut down 100 illegal farms in 2025 and periodically suspended even legal operations during energy shortages.

Early Bitcoin Miner Sends 2,000 BTC to Coinbase

Alongside state activity, on-chain data shows renewed movement from early miners. CryptoQuant’s Julio Moreno reported that a miner active in the “Satoshi era” moved about $181 million in Bitcoin, marking the first such activity by that cohort since November 2024, when BTC traded near $91,000.

Sani, founder of TimechainIndex, published blockchain data indicating that a miner controlling funds across 40 Pay-to-Public-Key wallets sent 2,000 BTC, sourced from block rewards that had been dormant since 2010, to wallets associated with the Coinbase exchange.

Related: Eric Trump Call American Bitcoin Mining Facility, ‘Living Proof’ of Crypto