pda
FAITID is a Russian non-profit foundation that operates domain registry infrastructure for the .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА geographic top-level domains (plus RU.NET+, RUCLID, and .VOLGA), distributing registration services through a global network of 11 ICANN-accredited registrars to serve Moscow-based businesses, government bodies, and international brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What pda does
FAITID (Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development) is a Russian non-profit foundation established in 2011 and headquartered in Moscow that operates domain registry infrastructure under ICANN's New gTLD Program. Its flagship assets are the geographic top-level domains .MOSCOW (Latin) and .МОСКВА (Cyrillic), delegated by ICANN in April 2014 after a $185,000-per-application process, alongside the RU.NET+ package of 71 regional and cultural TLDs, plus projects RUCLID, .VOLGA, and WebHiTech. The foundation runs the Flexireg registry system using EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) and DNSSEC, which passed ICANN's pre-delegation testing across more than 90 parameters in six categories; the International Network Technical Center (INTC) serves as the registry backend provider.
FAITID does not sell directly to end users. Distribution runs exclusively through ICANN-accredited registrars—four Russian firms (RU-CENTER, R01, REG.RU, Webnames) and seven international firms (101 DOMAIN, ASCIO, BB-ONLINE, GANDI, KEY-SYSTEMS, MARKMONITOR, LEXSYNERGY)—that handle retail registration. Launch followed ICANN's standard phased protocol: Sunrise for TMCH trademark holders (June 2014), Limited Registration Periods for Russian trademark owners, media, non-profits, and government bodies (July–September 2014), Landrush at premium pricing starting at 150,000 RUB (September 2014), and General Availability at ~600 RUB end-user pricing / $5 USD per registrar (December 2014). The foundation projects 300,000–500,000 first-year registrations in .MOSCOW and 100,000–150,000 in .МОСКВА, with 1 million combined within three years.
Revenue derives from transaction fees: standard registrar fees of $5 USD per domain, premium-tier pricing during Landrush from 150,000 RUB declining toward 1,500 RUB, and Sunrise pricing for trademark holders. The Moscow Government is the largest non-paying institutional customer, receiving reserved domains such as government.moscow and mayor.moscow. Global brand protection demand was demonstrated during Sunrise by Apple (11 domains), Gucci, and McDonald's. Operations are governed by an 11-member Board under President Nikolay Molibog and CEO (Executive Director) Matvey Alekseev, with cybersecurity partnerships with Group-IB (2015) and the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ (2018), and active representation in the ICANN GNSO Council and GeoTLDs association. No revenue, headcount, or funding figures are publicly disclosed.
pda firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- pda
- Legal name
- Фонд содействия развитию технологий и инфраструктуры Интернета (Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development)
- Website
- https://faitid.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- FAITID is a Russian non-profit foundation that operates domain registry infrastructure for the .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА geographic top-level domains (plus RU.NET+, RUCLID, and .VOLGA), distributing registration services through a global network of 11 ICANN-accredited registrars to serve Moscow-based businesses, government bodies, and international brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where pda is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Moscow
- HQ country
- Russia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
pda business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Domain Name Registration Fees: FAITID generates revenue through registration fees charged to accredited registrars for domain names registered in its TLDs (.MOSCOW, .МОСКВА, RU.NET+). Standard registration fee is $5 USD for registrars during General Availability. Premium domain registrations and priority period registrations command higher fees.
- Premium Domain Registration: Revenue from premium domain name registrations during Landrush period and premium tiers. Premium registration starts from 150,000 RUB for premium names, gradually reducing to standard pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | General Availability pricing for standard domain names |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Landrush/ Premium registration period pricing |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Sunrise period for TMCH trademark holders |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
pda product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FAITID operates as an ICANN-accredited domain registry operator managing multiple geographic and cultural-linguistic top-level domains, primarily .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА (Moscow's official TLDs in Latin and Cyrillic scripts), the RU.NET+ package of 71 Russian TLDs, and the Flexireg registry system. The foundation delivers domain registration services through a global network of accredited registrars using EPP protocol infrastructure with DNSSEC security.
Product overview
FAITID is a non-profit foundation established in 2011 that operates as a domain registry operator for multiple top-level domains under ICANN's New gTLD Program. The organization's primary products include the .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА geographic TLDs (Moscow's official domain names in Latin and Cyrillic scripts), the RU.NET+ package comprising 71 TLDs for Russian geographic and cultural communities, and the Flexireg registry system. FAITID also manages RUCLID for cultural-linguistic communities, .VOLGA TLD, and WebHiTech project. The foundation coordinates domain registration through accredited registrars using EPP protocol and implements anti-abuse policies for its domain zones.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- .MOSCOW TLD: Top-level domain for Moscow in ASCII format
- .МОСКВА TLD
- RU.NET+
- RUCLID
- .VOLGA TLD
- WebHiTech
Products and services
- .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА TLDs Geographic top-level domain names for the city of Moscow, with .MOSCOW in Latin script and .МОСКВА in Cyrillic script. These domains serve as an online brand for Russia's capital and are administered by FAITID as registry operator under ICANN's New gTLD Program.
- RU.NET+ A package of 71 top-level domain names focused on Russian geographic and cultural-linguistic communities, offering registry services for second and third-level domain registrations.
- Flexireg Registry System Domain registration system providing EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) interface for registrars to manage domain name registrations in RU.NET+ TLDs, with EPP extensions for managing third-level domain registrations and comprehensive policy controls.
- RUCLID Top-level domains for cultural and linguistic communities of Russia and geographic domains for Russian regions.
- .VOLGA TLD Top-level domain for the Volga region of Russia.
- WebHiTech Project focused on web technologies and internet infrastructure development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Projected 1 million total registrations across .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА within three years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use pda
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
pda technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
pda partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- GeoTLDs AssociationcoreFAITID participates in the GeoTLDs Group, an association of organizations implementing top-level domains for cities and regions (.berlin, .london, .moscow, .москва and others). The group advocates for geographic domain interests in ICANN's RPMs (Rights Protection Mechanisms) development processes.
- Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФcoreFAITID and the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ executed a memorandum of cooperation in the cybersecurity field. Recognizing the need for coordinated efforts to effectively counter digital abuses including spam, phishing, child abuse, and botnets, both organizations agreed to work together on abuse prevention initiatives.
- ICANN (GNSO Council)coreFAITID's Special Project Manager Maxim Alzoba was elected to the GNSO Council as representative of the Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG) from Europe for a two-year term. This representation ensures FAITID's voice in ICANN policy development processes affecting domain name operations.
- Group-IBmajorFAITID and Group-IB united to combat illegal content in Moscow's domain zones. Group-IB, a cybersecurity company specializing in fraud and cybercrime investigation, provides expertise for the foundation's abuse prevention and security initiatives.
- 101 DOMAIN, ASCIO, BB-ONLINE, GANDI, KEY-SYSTEMS, MARKMONITOR, LEXSYNERGYmajorSeven international registrars signed accreditation agreements for .МОСКВА and .MOSCOW at ICANN 50 in London. These registrars joined Russian registrars (RU-CENTER, R01, REG.RU, Webnames) in offering domain registration services, making Moscow domains available globally from launch.
- International Network Technical Center (INTC)coreINTC coordinated the development of infrastructure for .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА TLDs and serves as the registry backend provider. The platform uses leading technologies for domain registration with high reliability, as confirmed by successful pre-delegation testing.
- SedarimajorSedari was engaged as expert consultant for the .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА application process with ICANN. The company provided guidance through the New gTLD application procedures and technical requirements, winning the contract to support the domain implementation project.
- dotCities / .BERLINcoreMemorandum of cooperation signed on Moscow City Day 2011 between FAITID, dotCities association, and dotBERLIN initiative group. The partnership enables effective exchange of information and experience in implementing top-level domains for major cities. Dirk Krischenowski, CEO of dotBERLIN, noted that the collaboration began informally about a year prior and formalized through the memorandum to share knowledge gained during implementation of Moscow and Berlin domains.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
pda competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- dotBerlin: Registry operator for the .berlin geographic TLD under ICANN's New gTLD Program; FAITID's formal memorandum partner for city-TLD knowledge sharing since 2011, with directly comparable mission and operational model.
- London TLD: Registry operator for the .london geographic TLD; comparable European city-based gTLD operator with similar Sunrise/Landrush/General Availability launch phases and city-brand value proposition.
- .nyc Registry: Registry operator for the .nyc geographic TLD; comparable major-city gTLD with similar phased launch structure and urban identity use case for businesses and residents.
- GMO Registry (.tokyo): Registry operator for .tokyo and other Japanese city/brand TLDs; comparable Asian metro gTLD operator with similar trademark-protection and phased registration mechanisms.
- nic.wien (.wien Registry): Registry operator for the .wien (Vienna) geographic TLD; comparable European city gTLD with similar identity-driven value proposition for local businesses and institutions.
Broad incumbents
- Identity Digital: Operates the largest portfolio of new gTLDs (formerly Donuts); broader registry incumbent that competes for registrar attention and end-user adoption across many namespaces beyond city TLDs.
- Verisign: Operator of .com and .net, the dominant registry globally; sets industry pricing and operational benchmarks that constrain pricing power and adoption for niche gTLDs like .moscow.
- GoDaddy Registry: Registry services arm of GoDaddy operating multiple new gTLDs; large incumbent with strong registrar and end-user distribution that competes for share-of-mind in the new-gTLD ecosystem.
- Public Interest Registry: Nonprofit operator of .org and related TLDs; structurally comparable nonprofit registry model with similar mission-driven governance and large-scale domain registration operations.
Regional players
- Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ: Operator of Russia's national ccTLDs (.RU and .РФ); same domestic market and Cyrillic-internet identity mission, with which FAITID has a2018 cybersecurity cooperation memorandum.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
pda social profiles
Digital presencepda financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
pda leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
pda funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
pda M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about pda
What does pda do?
FAITID operates as an ICANN-accredited domain registry operator managing multiple geographic and cultural-linguistic top-level domains, primarily .MOSCOW and .МОСКВА (Moscow's official TLDs in Latin and Cyrillic scripts), the RU.NET+ package of 71 Russian TLDs, and the Flexireg registry system. The foundation delivers domain registration services through a global network of accredited registrars using EPP protocol infrastructure with DNSSEC security.
Is pda a public or private company?
pda is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was pda founded?
pda was founded in 2011.
Where is pda based?
pda is headquartered in Moscow, Russia, in the Europe region.
How does pda make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Domain Name Registration Fees are the primary driver. The others are premium Domain Registration.
Who are pda's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are dotBerlin, London TLD, .nyc Registry, GMO Registry (.tokyo) and nic.wien (.wien Registry). Broad incumbents are Identity Digital, Verisign, GoDaddy Registry and Public Interest Registry. Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ is listed as a regional player.
Does pda have an API?
No public API is recorded for pda.