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08/27/2026

Unstoppable Domains Halts $2M Bid for .Crypto and .Bitcoin ICANN TLDs

What happened: Unstoppable Domains has abandoned its plan to bring web3 domain extensions such as .

Unstoppable Domains Halts $2M Bid for .Crypto and .Bitcoin ICANN TLDs

What happened: Unstoppable Domains has abandoned its plan to bring web3 domain extensions such as .crypto and .bitcoin into the traditional internet via ICANN's 2026 expansion round. The company cited prohibitive costs—over $2 million in base ICANN fees for nine planned applications, each costing $227,000—as the main reason. CEO Matthew Gould described the web3 naming market as "small" and "niche," stating that expected revenues would not justify the compliance and application expenses. Customers who purchased affected domains after March 5, 2025, are eligible for refunds until September 25, 2026.

Why it matters: This marks a significant strategic reversal from Unstoppable’s earlier commitment to mainstream web3 naming. The decision underscores the limited commercial traction for blockchain-based domain names and highlights the financial and regulatory barriers to integrating decentralized naming with the traditional DNS. Unstoppable will continue supporting ICANN bids for third parties, but its own web3 TLD ambitions are on hold, signaling a more cautious outlook for the sector.

Source: CoinDesk