Verisign, which manages the .COM и .NET general top-level domains, presented its Q4 and full-year results at the end of last week. Its operational performance was not that brilliant: the company ended the year with a total number of registrations of 169 million, which is 2.1 percent less than a year earlier, and in the fourth quarter alone, the number of registrations dropped by 500,000.
Verisign CEO Jim Bidzos traditionally told analysts that the main reasons behind the shrinkage were the sharp cooling of the Chinese domain market and the greed of American registrars, who he believes set exorbitant prices. However, he (also traditionally) didn’t mention that Verisign has also raised wholesale prices for registration in .COM for five years in a row. Instead, Bidzos found some grounds for optimism, reporting that the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) saw some growth in the number of registrations, but without giving specific numbers. He also noted that Verisign’s new marketing programs show early signs of adoption by registrars and may help change the situation in the future.
However, Verisign expects that the drop will continue. According to Domain Incite, in 2025, the company analysts predict that its growth this year will be between negative 2.3 percent and negative 0.3 percent. However, in financial terms, the registry finished the year quite successfully. Its total income grew by 4.3 percent considering 2023 and reached $1.56 billion. In addition, it is also worth noting that Bidzos said Verisign was considering taking part in the next stage of ICANN’s new gTLD program, which is scheduled to start in spring 2026.
