What fTLD Registry Services does

fTLD Registry Services, LLC operates the .Bank and .Insurance generic top-level domains (gTLDs), the only exclusive, security-verified domain extensions available to verified banks, insurance companies, and insurance producers. Founded in 2011 and headquartered at 1300 Eye Street NW, Suite 1100 West, Washington, DC, the company is structured as a private limited liability company governed by the laws of the District of Columbia and operates under oversight of the American Bankers Association (ABA) and the Bank Policy Institute (BPI) as Operating Managers. Leadership is led by President Craig Schwartz, formerly Chief gTLD Registry Liaison at ICANN, supported by a small executive and Operating Management Team (1-10 employees total).

The company's core technology is a domain registry platform that enforces five mandatory security requirements on all .Bank and .Insurance registrations: DNSSEC, TLS encryption, DMARC email authentication, PSD DMARC (implemented November 15, 2023 as the first non-governmental TLDs to adopt the standard), and verified registrant eligibility. Pre-registration verification, annual re-verification, and daily compliance monitoring are mandatory. Backend registry infrastructure is operated by GoDaddy Registry and accessed by approved registrars through an EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) server interface. ICANN awarded fTLD rights to operate .Bank on September 25, 2014 and .Insurance on February 19, 2015.

Revenue is generated through subscription/recurring registration and renewal fees collected via an approved network of ICANN-accredited registrars, with annual billing cadence. Premium domains (single-character and most two-letter names) carry non-uniform multi-year pricing. Distribution is exclusively through vetted registrars that must carry $1M liability insurance, execute an NDA, and comply with the fTLD Operations Pledge including MFA requirements. Customers are regulated banks (community, retail, commercial, and supervised holding companies) and insurers/producers served globally across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan, with a narrowly restricted service-provider category representing approximately 0.012% of registrations.

Name

fTLD Registry Services

Legal name

fTLD Registry Services, LLC

Website

https://ftld.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

fTLD Registry Services operates the .Bank and .Insurance generic top-level domains, providing exclusive, security-verified internet addresses for regulated banks, insurance companies, and producers worldwide. The company enforces mandatory DNSSEC, TLS, and DMARC security requirements on all registered domains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Domain Registration Fees: fTLD generates revenue through registration and renewal fees for .Bank and .Insurance domain names, collected via approved ICANN-accredited registrars. Premium domain names (single-character, two-letter names, and reserved names) have non-uniform registration and renewal pricing that differs from standard domain pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

fTLD Registry Services operates the .Bank and .Insurance generic top-level domains (gTLDs) as the exclusive, security-focused registry for verified banks, insurance companies, and insurance producers. Registrants must implement mandatory security requirements including DNSSEC, TLS encryption, email authentication (DMARC), and PSD DMARC. Domains are distributed through a vetted network of ICANN-accredited registrars, with daily compliance monitoring and annual eligibility verification.

Product overview

fTLD Registry Services operates two exclusive domain extensions for the financial services industry: .Bank and .Insurance. These are managed through a platform that includes domain registration services via approved registrars, security requirements enforcement, compliance monitoring, and domain verification. The system operates on EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) through backend provider GoDaddy Registry. Registrants must implement DNSSEC, TLS encryption, and email authentication, with daily compliance monitoring and annual verification. The .Bank TLD launched September 25, 2014 and .Insurance launched February 19, 2015, both operated under ICANN registry agreements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• .Bank: Exclusive domain extension for banks that revolutionizes online security and shields against cyberattacks and fraud.
• .Insurance

Products and services

• .Bank Domain An exclusive domain extension for verified banks that provides online security against cyberattacks and fraud. Banks must meet eligibility requirements and implement security technologies including DNSSEC, TLS encryption, and email authentication (DMARC).
• .Insurance Domain An exclusive domain extension for insurers and producers that provides secure website and email capabilities, protects sensitive customer data, and ensures trusted interactions in the insurance sector.
• Registrar Onboarding Services Onboarding process for ICANN-accredited registrars to become approved to offer .Bank and .Insurance domains, including application review, RRA signing, EPP interface testing, and registry service provider onboarding with GoDaddy Registry.
• Domain Verification Program Organization validation performed before .Bank and .Insurance domains are awarded, and annually thereafter, with additional verification required for material changes to registration data. Government-issued ID may be requested to confirm organization eligibility.
• Compliance Monitoring Service

Quantifiable outcome

• First non-governmental TLDs to implement PSD DMARC security feature
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Bankers Association (ABA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2014ABA serves as Operating Manager for fTLD alongside Bank Policy Institute (BPI). ABA is a trade association representing banks of all sizes and provides oversight and governance for .Bank and .Insurance domain operations.
• Bank Policy Institute (BPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2014BPI serves as Operating Manager for fTLD alongside American Bankers Association (ABA). BPI represents large banks and provides technology and cybersecurity policy expertise for domain security operations.
• GoDaddy RegistrycoreTechnology or Integration · 25 September 2014GoDaddy Registry serves as the backend registry service provider for fTLD. Registrar onboarding includes GoDaddy Registry credentials for EPP server interface testing. New registrars not currently accredited with GoDaddy Registry must complete their onboarding process.
• ICBA (Independent Community Bankers of America)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory Council member helping ensure fTLD's policies align with the mission of .Bank and .Insurance. ICBA represents community banks and provides input on policy development.
• ACLI (American Council of Life Insurers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory Council member representing life insurers, contributing to policy development for .Insurance domain.
• CLHIA (Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory Council member representing Canadian life and health insurers, supporting .Insurance policy development.
• ICANNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. fTLD received delegated authority to operate .Bank and .Insurance as new gTLDs from ICANN. Ongoing compliance with ICANN registry agreements and policies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Identity Digital: Operates one of the largest portfolios of gTLDs (formerly Donuts + Afilias). Directly comparable as a registry operator managing multiple new gTLDs with varying access policies.
• Google Registry: Operates restricted, security-focused gTLDs including .app, .dev, and .page, which require HTTPS and share a similar 'security-by-mandate' positioning as .Bank and .Insurance.
• Public Interest Registry: Operates .org under a non-commercial, mission-driven governance model similar in spirit to fTLD's trade-association-backed structure for .Bank and .Insurance.
• Minds + Machines Group (MMX): Operates a portfolio of new gTLDs (.law, .work, .living, etc.) and is comparable as a niche registry operator monetizing restricted or thematic TLDs.
• NeuStar (Registry Services): Operates .biz and .co and previously managed the .us ccTLD; a comparable registry operator with both restricted and open gTLDs in its portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Verisign: Largest gTLD registry operator (.com, .net) and a public company. Operates broadly in registry services with overlapping backend and policy expertise, though its TLDs are unrestricted.

Others

• GoDaddy Registry: fTLD's backend registry service provider operating the EPP infrastructure. Comparable as a peer registry but more directly relevant here as the company's infrastructure supplier.

Emerging players

• Radix: Operates a portfolio of new gTLDs (.online, .store, .tech, .site) and competes for the same pool of registry customers, though focused on high-volume open TLDs rather than restricted verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about fTLD Registry Services