Unstoppable Domains Says Web3 Domain Market Is ‘Small’ and ‘Niche,’ Skips ICANN 2026 Round

Unstoppable Domains will refund eligible customers after deciding against applying to bring several Web3-native domains into ICANN’s 2026 generic top-level domain (gTLD) round, founder Matthew Gould said.

The company will not seek inclusion for .crypto, .wallet, .Bitcoin, .NFT, .DAO and .ZIL, meaning the domains will not enter the traditional Domain Name System for now.

Gould said expected compliance, application, and potential bidding expenses would outweigh projected sales, describing demand for Web3 domains as limited and serving a relatively narrow market.

The domains will continue operating as on-chain assets and can still be used for cryptocurrency payments.

Source: Matthew Gould