Round Two of ICANN's new gTLD program officially opens
It has been more than 14 years since the last New gTLD application round opened.
The internet’s biggest naming expansion in more than a decade is now officially underway, with ICANN opening applications for the 2026 New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program.
For the first time since 2012, organisations have the rare opportunity to apply for and operate their own top-level domain from a dedicated brand string to entirely new category namespaces reflecting the digital economy of 2026.
The application window opened on 30 April 2026 and closes on 12 August 2026.
The 2012 round attracted 1,930 applications worldwide and reshaped the domain landscape with extensions including .shop, .app, .xyz and .melbourne, alongside dedicated dot-brand domains for organisations such as .google, .apple and .canon.
The 2026 round arrives in a fundamentally different internet era. Concepts that didn’t exist in 2013, autonomous AI agents, decentralised finance, digital assets, robotics, are now commercial realities, and analysts expect strong demand for strings including .crypto, .agentic, .defi, .quantum and .robots, alongside values-aligned strings such as .climate and .sustainable.
The Australian Opportunity
For Australian organisations, the 2026 round arrives at a compelling moment. A generation of innovative Australian brands, businesses and platforms that simply didn’t exist thirteen years ago are now looking to initiatives like the new gTLD program to establish a definitive presence on the internet on their own terms, under their own namespace.
"Australian brands have built some remarkable businesses over the past decade. We've seen companies like Atlassian, Canva, Afterpay and Culture Kings scale from local operations to significant global enterprises in the time since the last round opened.
This program is an opportunity for organisations of that calibre, or those with ambitions to become leaders in their space, to claim their place at the very top level of the internet.
The new gTLD program is a serious investment. The application fee alone sits at USD $225,000, and total costs including technical, legal and operational requirements can run considerably higher.
But for the right organisation, the upside is significant. A brand that owns its own top-level domain controls every address beneath it, can create entirely new digital experiences, and holds a piece of internet infrastructure that no competitor can replicate or imitate."
For interested parties, the time is now
The application will remain open for around 12 weeks, and most applicants require several months of preparation to complete a credible application. Therefore, Australian boards should be considering several strategic questions now:
- What commercial, brand, and trust advantages could ownership of a top-level domain create for our business?
- Could securing our own namespace materially strengthen customer trust, digital identity, and resilience against phishing, impersonation, and online fraud?
- Are there strategic category, industry, or brand-aligned namespaces that represent a long-term commercial opportunity if secured now?
- What are the long-term risks of inaction, if competitors, investors, or other third parties secure valuable digital real estate before we do?
Preparation extends well beyond the application itself. It involves trademark and rights analysis, governance planning, technical registry operator selection, compliance design, and executive alignment on the long-term strategic purpose of the namespace. Under ICANN’s updated framework, operational maturity and sustainable stewardship will matter as much as the application itself.
About brandsec
brandsec is a team of highly experienced domain name management and online brand protection experts. We provide corporate domain name management and brand enforcement services, helping brands eliminate phishing platforms across the internet. Supporting some of the largest brands in the region, we offer innovative solutions to combat threats across multiple industries.
