Georgia crypto mining’s potential: What’s driving growth in the industry?
Who would have thought that a small country in the Caucasus Mountains could become one of the world’s leaders in cryptocurrency mining?
Despite its small size and population, Georgia has become a popular spot for cryptocurrency mining thanks to its cheap electricity, the absence of legislative restrictions and attractive tax incentives. This combination of factors has engaged not only Georgian citizens but also foreigners who want to try their hand at cryptocurrency mining.
Georgia’s economy is actively developing, but it has not yet grown up to the level of other developed countries. In 2015, in order to attract foreign investment and boost the economy, Georgian authorities established a Free Economic Zone (FEZ) in Tbilisi, the capital of the country.
This action turned out to be a boon for the cryptocurrency business. By 2018, the country ranked second in the profitability of Bitcoin (BTC) mining.
The low cost of electricity attracted foreign investors to the country, namely the Dutch company Bitfury, an industrial miner and one of the largest in the world. In June 2014, it opened its first data center with a capacity of 20 MW in Gori. In December of the following year, Bitfury launched a more powerful (40 MW) data center in the Gldani district of Tbilisi. Thus, the company increased its capacity in Georgia to 60 MW.
The mining company became the administrator of the Free Industrial Zone in Tbilisi, where 18 hectares of land were allocated for just $1. In addition to cheap electricity, Bitfury registered the company in the zone in order to get a tax break, avoid currency regulations and get access to cheaper utilities and other services.
Bitfury also noted its role in applying blockchain technology in state registries. In
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