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Unstoppable Domains refunds web3 names after skipping ICANN 2026 round
Founder Matthew Gould said the ICANN route was too costly versus expected recoverable sales, and the decision reverses a Feb. pledge to apply for multiple original extensions.
Unstoppable Domains said it will not file applications for its web3 top-level domains in ICANN's 2026 expansion round and is refunding customers who bought names under those extensions, according to The Defiant. The move ends a promise made to holders since 2019 that domains such as .crypto and .wallet would eventually resolve in ordinary browsers, similar to .com.
Founder Matthew Gould said the company viewed the cost of taking the web3 strings through ICANN, including compliance, application, and bidding, as higher than what it expected to recover in sales. He added that the company decided to refund rather than proceed because the application deadline was approaching, after telling customers it planned to apply for all six original extensions in an update dated Feb. 17.
ICANN's application window opened on April 30 and closed on Aug. 12, with more than 1,600 primary applications submitted, the organization said. Evaluation fees were due by Aug. 19, and ICANN said it expects to share the timing of Reveal Day in mid-September, with applications published no later than nine weeks after the window closed.
The company said affected customers were notified by email, and Holders later described receiving a list on Aug. 25, The Defiant reported. The Defiant also noted that Unstoppable's Feb. 2026 blog post on web3 refunds appears to redirect and that its website domain has since changed, while Gould argued that the web3 naming market remains small and cannot support multiple generic TLDs in this round.