The last time organisations could apply to run their own corner of the DNS was 2012. That round produced more than 1,200 new domains — .bank, .london, .eco, .microsoft, .sky. The 2026 Round application window opened this week and runs until 12 August.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has opened applications for its second new generic top-level domain programme. Organisations including brands, cities, governments, community groups, and businesses offering registry services can apply to control a top-level domain (.brand, .city, .industry) and define who can register beneath it. Applications are accepted through the TLD Application Management System and close on 12 August 2026.
The 2012 round reshaped parts of the internet's address structure. Barclays and Sky used custom domains early on specifically to defend against impersonation fraud — creating a verified namespace that phishing operations could not easily replicate. With AI-powered fraud now driving UK fraud cases to 444,000 incidents last year, according to CIFAS, the brand-protection argument is sharper than it was when the first round closed.
gTLDs are unique digital tools that can be used in meaningful and innovative ways to help achieve long-term goals,
The 2026 Round introduces one significant expansion over the 2012 programme: applications are accepted in 27 different scripts, including Arabic, Chinese, Devanagari, and Thai. That opens gTLD ownership to communities for whom the Latin-script internet remains a second-language experience — a material change to who can anchor a piece of the address space in their own writing system.
ICANN puts the business case for gTLD operation at 92 percent of marketers recognising benefits for differentiation, trust, and SEO, citing its own research. The commercial reality is narrower: operating a gTLD requires sustained infrastructure, a registry agreement with ICANN, and the resources to maintain it. The 2012 round saw some applicants succeed and others let domains lapse. The 2026 cohort will face the same economics.
For UK organisations, the timing overlaps with the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which introduces new obligations on critical infrastructure operators and digital service providers. ICANN's PR pitch positions custom gTLDs as part of a cyber resilience strategy. Whether regulators will treat branded TLD ownership as a meaningful control depends on how the Bill's guidance develops.
