The United Arab Emirates is emerging as a major sovereign player in bitcoin, with royal family-linked mining rigs producing around 4 BTC per day. These state-backed operations are converting energy and infrastructure into a steady digital asset engine.

On-chain data from Arkham estimates the UAE is sitting on roughly $344 million in unrealized profit from its bitcoin (BTC $68,617.76) mining activities. Wallets linked to the UAE Royal Group hold about 6,782 BTC, valued near $450 million. Excluding energy costs, these holdings are highly profitable, reflecting the efficiency of years of industrial-scale mining versus market purchases.

The country’s mining push began in 2022 when Citadel Mining, connected to Abu Dhabi’s royal family through International Holding Company, built large-scale facilities on Al Reem Island. In 2023, Marathon Digital—now MARA Holdings—partnered with Abu Dhabi-based Zero Two to deploy 250 megawatts of immersion-cooled mining capacity, one of the region’s largest publicly disclosed operations.

Over the past week, production averaged 4.2 BTC per day, showing the UAE’s mining infrastructure remains fully operational despite bitcoin’s decline from late-2025 highs. Unlike the U.S. or U.K., where government-held bitcoin mostly comes from seizures, the UAE’s reserves are mined and retained, effectively turning energy into a growing strategic digital reserve.

While many miners have been forced to sell during market downturns, the UAE appears to be quietly accumulating bitcoin, steadily increasing its sovereign crypto holdings over time.