Wiz, the operator of the popular Bitcoin block explorer mempool.space, has filed a community priority application with ICANN to secure the .bitcoin top-level domain. The submission deadline is August 12, 2026 at 23:59 UTC, marking the first new gTLD application window since 2012. This move aims to prevent the domain from being auctioned to the highest bidder. The application fee costs $227,000, and would restrict domain registration to verifiably involved Bitcoin stakeholders, including node operators and protocol contributors. A successful application would create a trusted namespace where Bitcoin businesses and services could establish verifiable identities, reducing phishing risks.
Source: Read the original article
