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ShortDot has publicly congratulated that our friends @nicenic after announcing that NiceNIC is now the number one registrar worldwide for .ICU registration volume, based on ShortDot’s stated figures as of May 6, 2026. Congratulations team!!!
The announcement was shared by ShortDot on LinkedIn, where the registry thanked the NiceNIC team, their customers, and the wider group of users choosing .ICU domains for new websites, online brands, startup ideas, experiments, and digital projects:
www.linkedin.com
.ICU is one of the better-known new gTLDs operated by ShortDot SA, the Luxembourg-based registry operator behind extensions including .ICU, .BOND, .CYOU, .SBS, .CFD, .BUZZ, and .QPON.
The .ICU extension is listed by IANA as a generic top-level domain, with Shortdot SA as the sponsoring organisation. ICANN’s registry agreement page also lists ShortDot SA as the operator of .ICU.
NiceNIC, meanwhile, is listed in IANA’s registrar ID database as an accredited registrar under IANA ID 3765: NICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITED.
For DNForum readers, this is especially interesting because NiceNIC has also become one of the more active registrar members in our own community recently.
The milestone comes at a time when new gTLDs continue to be an active part of the domain name market. The Domain Name Industry Brief reported that new generic TLD registrations reached 49.6 million at the end of Q1 2026, up 31.3% year over year.
Public zone-list data from Domains Monitor showed 462,789 .ICU domains available in its .ICU dataset on May 13, 2026. As always with registry, zone file, and third-party ranking data, figures can vary depending on the update cycle, data source, and the exact metric being measured.
That is why the safest way to read this announcement is as ShortDot’s own public statement that NiceNIC reached the top position for .ICU registration volume as of May 6, 2026.
NiceNIC describes itself as an ICANN-accredited registrar offering domain registrations, transfers, reseller tools, bulk registration, DNS management, WHOIS privacy features, and crypto-friendly payments.
The registrar also promotes .ICU registrations directly on its website, where it describes .ICU as a memorable domain extension suitable for projects looking to stand out online.
ShortDot presents itself as a new domain extension registry working with more than 400 registrar partners globally. Its portfolio includes .ICU alongside several other new gTLDs.
.ICU is commonly marketed around the phrase “I see you”, making it a short, broad, and brandable extension that can be used by creators, startups, communities, personal brands, and businesses.
For the domain investor community, registrar-level movement inside a specific extension can be useful to watch.
A registrar becoming a leading channel for a TLD may indicate stronger retail demand, active promotions, reseller/API usage, bulk registrations, or a successful geographic/customer segment strategy.
In this case, the announcement is also a positive recognition for NiceNIC’s growing visibility in the domain industry and its recent activity inside the DNForum community.
Congratulations to the NiceNIC team and ShortDot on the milestone.
ICANN .ICU registry agreement
IANA registrar IDs list
ShortDot official website
NiceNIC official website
Domains Monitor .ICU zone data
Domain Name Industry Brief Q1 2026
The announcement was shared by ShortDot on LinkedIn, where the registry thanked the NiceNIC team, their customers, and the wider group of users choosing .ICU domains for new websites, online brands, startup ideas, experiments, and digital projects:
#doticu #icu #nicenic #domains #domainnames #buildonline #startupculture #branding #digitalidentity #onlinebusiness | ShortDot
Well… this is a pretty big one. NiceNIC is now the #1 registrar worldwide for .icu registration volume as of May 6 and we’re feeling very, very grateful. To the NiceNIC team, their customers, and everyone choosing .icu to build, launch, experiment, create, and grow online thank you for being...
www.linkedin.com
Why this is notable
.ICU is one of the better-known new gTLDs operated by ShortDot SA, the Luxembourg-based registry operator behind extensions including .ICU, .BOND, .CYOU, .SBS, .CFD, .BUZZ, and .QPON.
The .ICU extension is listed by IANA as a generic top-level domain, with Shortdot SA as the sponsoring organisation. ICANN’s registry agreement page also lists ShortDot SA as the operator of .ICU.
NiceNIC, meanwhile, is listed in IANA’s registrar ID database as an accredited registrar under IANA ID 3765: NICENIC INTERNATIONAL GROUP CO., LIMITED.
For DNForum readers, this is especially interesting because NiceNIC has also become one of the more active registrar members in our own community recently.
Market context
The milestone comes at a time when new gTLDs continue to be an active part of the domain name market. The Domain Name Industry Brief reported that new generic TLD registrations reached 49.6 million at the end of Q1 2026, up 31.3% year over year.
Public zone-list data from Domains Monitor showed 462,789 .ICU domains available in its .ICU dataset on May 13, 2026. As always with registry, zone file, and third-party ranking data, figures can vary depending on the update cycle, data source, and the exact metric being measured.
That is why the safest way to read this announcement is as ShortDot’s own public statement that NiceNIC reached the top position for .ICU registration volume as of May 6, 2026.
About NiceNIC
NiceNIC describes itself as an ICANN-accredited registrar offering domain registrations, transfers, reseller tools, bulk registration, DNS management, WHOIS privacy features, and crypto-friendly payments.
The registrar also promotes .ICU registrations directly on its website, where it describes .ICU as a memorable domain extension suitable for projects looking to stand out online.
About ShortDot and .ICU
ShortDot presents itself as a new domain extension registry working with more than 400 registrar partners globally. Its portfolio includes .ICU alongside several other new gTLDs.
.ICU is commonly marketed around the phrase “I see you”, making it a short, broad, and brandable extension that can be used by creators, startups, communities, personal brands, and businesses.
DNForum takeaway
For the domain investor community, registrar-level movement inside a specific extension can be useful to watch.
A registrar becoming a leading channel for a TLD may indicate stronger retail demand, active promotions, reseller/API usage, bulk registrations, or a successful geographic/customer segment strategy.
In this case, the announcement is also a positive recognition for NiceNIC’s growing visibility in the domain industry and its recent activity inside the DNForum community.
Congratulations to the NiceNIC team and ShortDot on the milestone.
Additional Sources
IANA .ICU delegation recordICANN .ICU registry agreement
IANA registrar IDs list
ShortDot official website
NiceNIC official website
Domains Monitor .ICU zone data
Domain Name Industry Brief Q1 2026
