March 18, 2025

Anand Vora (VP of Business Development & Partnerships, D3)

Last week was a big one for the domain industry in Seattle! ICANN82 brought the global internet governance community together for the first meeting this year, tackling some of the biggest questions and opportunities in the space. We also hosted our first-ever DomainFi Blueprint Workshop alongside ICANN82, offering a practical approach for registries and registrars to adopt Web3 technologies in a DNS-compliant way.

If you missed the action, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! Tune into later today (March 18th 17:30-18:00 CET) to our X Space as Elias Rendón Benger (CEO InterNetX) and I recap ICANN82 and talk shop about DomainFi, live from Cloudfest.

Here are my takeaways from last week:

ICANN82: Keeping the Internet Open & Secure

ICANN82 was all about shaping the future of domain names, with a lot of focus on making the DNS more secure, accessible, and ready for growth.

🚀 Next Round of gTLDs is Gaining Momentum

The long-awaited next round of new Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) is moving forward. ICANN shared updates on the Application Guidebook (AGB), which is now open for public comment. We’re excited to partner with top Web3 ecosystems to apply for and obtain DNS-compliant TLDs as part of this upcoming round including .anime with Animecoin Foundation and many others (.shib, .ape, .core, .magic).

📉 Google AdSense & Domains

As of September 2024, new Google ad accounts are automatically opted out of displaying ads on parked domains. Advertisers must now actively opt-in for their ads to appear on these platforms. This shift is expected to reduce the number of advertisers participating in domain parking, leading to decreased competition for ad space and potentially lower revenues for domain owners. As a result, domain investors are exploring alternative revenue models beyond traditional parking including Web3 monetization and distribution channels – more on this below!

🛡 Cracking Down on DNS Abuse

Security remains a top priority. There were deep discussions about mitigating DNS abuse—things like phishing, malware, and botnets. ICANN is encouraging more collaboration between registries, registrars, and law enforcement to ensure a safer internet for everyone.

🌎 Universal Acceptance is Gaining Traction

Universal Acceptance (UA) might not be the most talked-about topic, but it’s crucial. The idea is simple: all domain names and email addresses—no matter the language or script—should work everywhere online. ICANN82 highlighted ongoing efforts to push UA forward, making the internet truly accessible to all. At D3, we support this vision of interoperability and believe it extends to Web3 and blockchains as well.

DomainFi Blueprint: A Web3 Workshop for Domain Industry Leaders 

Our inaugural DomainFi Blueprint Workshop explored practical ways to modernize and monetize the business of domains through innovative Web3 technologies. The standing-room only event for nearly 100 industry leaders dove into how to apply blockchain technologies like Doma Protocol and decentralized finance (DeFi) patterns to revolutionize the $360B+ domain market. 

🔥 Introducing the Doma Protocol

One of the biggest highlights? A closer technical look at Doma Protocol (docs here) – the first purpose-built blockchain network designed for DomainFi. One of the goals of Doma is to tokenize and unlock liquidity for domains—transforming them into programmable assets that can be traded, financed, and used in ways we’ve never seen before. 

🤝 Building Bridges Between Web2 and Web3 through Major Partners

The workshop featured talks from strategic partners including Identity Digital (Matt Overman, Chief Revenue Officer) and leading Web3 ecosystems like Base (Sam Frankel, Head of Ecosystem) to access new distribution channels to reach millions of potential investors and users. The goal is to  integrate existing and future domains into the broader blockchain landscape, creating new ways to distribute and use them in wallets, marketplaces, and payments systems.

💰 New Monetization Models for Domains

Traditionally, domains have been bought, sold, and parked—but what if they could generate yield, be used as collateral, or be fractionalized like real estate? The DomainFi Blueprint workshop highlighted innovative ways to bring DeFi principles into the current domain market, opening up new monetization strategies while ensuring 100% compliance with ICANN policies.

Ready to begin your DomainFi journey? We’ve only got a few spots left in DomainFi Prime, our early adopter program to help registrars integrate with Doma and acquire and retain more customers. Get in touch with me on X or LinkedIn to learn more!

Looking forward in 2025

ICANN82 and the DomainFi Blueprint Workshop made one thing clear: domain evolution is inevitable. On one side, we have ICANN ensuring that domain names remain secure and accessible in a growing digital world. On the other, DomainFi will unlock new opportunities for domains as digital real estate—turning them into composable liquid assets that will power the next wave of innovation across Web2 and Web3.

If you’re in the domain world, this is the year that early adopters can become winners. The future of domains is bigger than just websites as we know them—it’s about unlocking their full financial and technological potential. Let’s build this economy together. 🚀