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08/28/2026

Unstoppable Domains Abandons $2M Plan for .Crypto and .Bitcoin ICANN Bids

What happened: Unstoppable Domains and five partners have withdrawn their applications to bring 14 web3-related top-level domains—including .

Unstoppable Domains Abandons $2M Plan for .Crypto and .Bitcoin ICANN Bids

What happened: Unstoppable Domains and five partners have withdrawn their applications to bring 14 web3-related top-level domains—including .crypto, .bitcoin, and .wallet—to the standard internet via ICANN. The abandoned bids would have incurred over $2 million in base fees, with each application costing $227,000. Founder Matthew Gould cited the high compliance and application costs relative to the "small/niche" web3 domain market, referencing ENS's $315,013 in 30-day fee revenue as a benchmark. Refunds are being offered to qualifying customers, and the company will continue to support third-party ICANN bids such as Telegram's .gram.

Why it matters: This move signals a decisive strategic retreat from efforts to mainstream web3 domains, with Unstoppable Domains shifting focus to more financially viable registry work. The decision underscores the limited commercial traction of blockchain-based domain names, as even leading competitor ENS generated just $4.04 million in trailing 12-month fees. The episode highlights the persistent gap between web3 ambitions and real-world adoption.

Source: CoinDesk