According to Arkham Intelligence’s onchain analysis, cryptocurrency mining activities affiliated with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) attract attention by creating a reserve of approximately 6,782 BTC with a total value of $ 453.6 million. These assets are held in the wallets of the Royal Group and its associated mining operations, which are known for their closeness to the royal family in the UAE. The analysis company based its current profit calculation only on the difference between production costs and the market price; energy and operational expenses were not taken into account.
Scale and Strategy of Mining Activities
According to Arkham’s data, mining operations affiliated with the UAE have been operating on an industrial scale, with an average daily production of 4.2 BTC in the last week. According to analysis, most of the Bitcoin obtained from this mining continues to be held in wallets; It was determined that the last check-out was made approximately four months ago. The UAE’s approach to Bitcoin accumulation differs from other countries with large amounts of Bitcoin reserves. While countries such as the US and the UK hold Bitcoin in reserves, mainly obtained from law enforcement operations, the UAE’s reserve accumulation comes mainly from domestic mining activities.
Growing Crypto Infrastructure and Partnerships
The UAE’s strategic moves in this field extend to 2022. That year, Citadel Mining, based in Abu Dhabi and associated with the royal family, established a large-scale mining facility on Al Reem Island. Broader regional initiatives were supported by directing state-linked capital into digital asset infrastructure. In 2023, Marathon Digital Holdings and Abu Dhabi-based companies Zero Two launched a joint venture aimed at establishing submersible-cooled Bitcoin mining facilities with a total power of 250 megawatts in the country. It was stated that this project is one of the largest industrial mining initiatives in the region to date.
Current Reserve Estimates and Comparisons
In its current analysis, Arkham Intelligence has revised its previous estimates. In August 2025, it was predicted that the UAE produced approximately 9,300 BTC across the country and held 6,300 of them, having Bitcoin reserves of approximately $700 million at that time. With the latest update, the amount of Bitcoin held by the UAE corresponds to 0.03% of the total supply. This development positions the country as one of the leading states in terms of on-chain approved assets.
The USA still remains the largest sovereign owner of Bitcoin. There are approximately 328,000 BTC in the country, including the Bitcoins seized from events such as Silk Road with the Bitfinex hacker; This amount reaches 22 billion dollars with market value.
Abu Dhabi’s ETF Investments and Institutional Portfolio Expansion
Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth funds do not limit their investments in the crypto space only directly to Bitcoin. According to recent statements, they own 12.7 million shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) ETF fund as of December 31, and this position is worth approximately $630.6 million. This reflects a 46% increase from the 8.7 million shares reported at the end of September. The investments are made by the Mubadala fund, which supports the country’s economic diversification goals and manages more than $330 billion in assets. Mubadala maintains an active profile in technology, healthcare, infrastructure and public markets.
Al Warda Investments, affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, also increased its IBIT stake to 8.22 million in the fourth quarter. While this fund was previously focused mainly on private investments, it has begun to show an increasing trend in public Bitcoin ETF investments. Consolidated, these two investment vehicles in the region reportedly held over $1.1 billion worth of IBIT shares in their portfolios as of year-end.
Bitcoin is trading just below the $66,000 level at the time of writing.
