Unstoppable Domains has dropped its initiative to include nine of its blockchain identifiers in the global Domain Name System. The list includes the .crypto, .bitcoin, .wallet, .polygon, .nft, .dao, .unstoppable, .zil, and .blockchain zones. These on-chain addresses will continue to function in a decentralized environment but will not receive native support from standard internet infrastructure. The decision was driven by ICANN's financial requirements and program participation conditions.
ICANN opened applications for new top-level domains for the first time in an extended period as part of its 2026 round. The base cost of filing a single application is $227,000, which would have meant a combined investment of more than $2 million for Unstoppable Domains, not counting ancillary costs and potential auction bids in the event of competition for identical names. Organization founder Matthew Gould noted that the total costs of regulatory compliance, filing, and potential auctions would have exceeded projected sales revenue, describing this segment as highly specialized and limited in volume.
Financial considerations were not the only key obstacle. The proposed regulations for integrating DNS with alternative addressing systems required mandatory registration and payment for each identifier within a unified zone, along with disclosure of ownership information. For Unstoppable Domains, this would have affected more than 4 million previously issued on-chain addresses, a significant portion of which were purchased as digital assets without recurring payments. Management stated it was unwilling to impose such conditions on existing users or bill them additionally.
The decision drew criticism from part of the customer base. Some holders had expected their assets to appreciate in value following DNS integration and had declined offers to sell. In response, the organization launched a reimbursement program for purchases made after the public announcement of its intention to file applications with ICANN. Reimbursement is available for eight zones for purchases made no earlier than March 5, 2025, and for .blockchain — from June 5, 2024. Applications are accepted until September 25, with subsequent processing within 28 days. The functionality of the blockchain identifiers themselves is preserved, including the replacement of long cryptographic addresses.
The organization has not entirely withdrawn from the ICANN program, having filed applications for five other zones: .agi, .robot, .gram, .hub, and .xmr. The first two are oriented toward the 0G ecosystem and AI agent identification tasks. For Telegram, the company is acting as an infrastructure partner in the process of obtaining .gram, while .xmr is being developed jointly with Monero and Cake Wallet. The application window closed on August 12 with a total of more than 1,600 submissions. A public list is expected within nine weeks, with the first approved zones potentially appearing by mid-2027 and a full launch before 2028. In late 2023, Ethereum Name Service lead Nick Johnson had leveled accusations of patent infringement.