Kuwait intensifies efforts against illicit cryptocurrency mining to alleviate strain on the power grid.
🚨 Alert: Unauthorized Crypto Mining Crackdown 🚨
The Criminal Security Sector, in league with the Public Authority for Industry and the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy, has gone all-in on a joint security campaign in residential neighborhoods. The mission? To stamp out unlawful cryptocurrency mining operations.
This action-packed effort has uncovered numerous residences flouting national laws and regulations through illicit use of high-energy mining equipment. Multiple mining devices have been confiscated, and the violators have been handed over to the judicial authorities, as per Al-Rai.
In a bold statement, the Ministry of Interior highlighted this campaign as a crucial component of a nationwide effort to stamp out illegal practices that exert pressure on Kuwait's electrical infrastructure.
Unapproved mining operations have led to a substantial surge in power consumption, overloading the power grid, and ramping up the risk of blackouts in residential, commercial, and critical service areas. This situation poses a severe threat to public safety.
Among the recent actions taken:
- Large-Scale Security Operations: On April 25 and 26, 2025, sprawling security campaigns were carried out in residential areas, targeting homes utilized for illicit cryptocurrency mining activities. These widespread operations resulted in the confiscation of properties and advanced mining equipment.
- Strict Legal and Regulatory Measures: Kuwait's government has made it clear that crypto mining is a violation of numerous laws, including the penal code, communication and IT regulations, industrial laws, and municipal rules. This enforcement is reinforced by a ban issued by the Capital Markets Authority in 2023, which also prohibited other crypto-related activities.
- Vigilance for Public Safety and Infrastructure Protection: Authorities have expressed concerns that unauthorized cryptocurrency mining not only jeopardizes the stability of the power grid, potentially causing blackouts, but also paves the way for criminal activities such as money laundering. Consequently, there's a renewed call for public alertness and cooperation in reporting suspicious mining activities.
Keep your eyes peeled and your neighborhood safe! 🕵️♂️🔒
- The surge in unauthorized cryptocurrency mining, especially in residential areas of Kuwait, has imposed a substantial strain on the country's electrical infrastructure and financial resources, as these unlicensed activities are in violation of numerous laws, including the penal code, communication and IT regulations, industrial laws, municipal rules, and the ban issued by the Capital Markets Authority in 2023.
- In an effort to maintain security, technology, and public safety, the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the Criminal Security Sector, Public Authority for Industry, Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy, and possibly other relevant ministries, have launched large-scale security operations to apprehend violators utilizing residences for unlawful cryptocurrency mining.
- With the rampant increase in power consumption caused by unapproved mining operations, security forces in Kuwait have intensified their surveillance and vigilance in order to protect the nation's technological infrastructure, social services, and, ultimately, the well-being of its citizens, while mitigating the potential risks associated with money laundering and other illegal activities.
