Link Freedom Group (LFG) aspires to become a best-in-class, vertically integrated domain name registration authority, see linkfreedomgroup.link. This TLD is part of a carefully curated portfolio of strings that LFG intends to pursue in ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Program. In assembling this portfolio, LFG focused on securing meaningful, memorable, and commercially compelling strings that resonate strongly with end users and offer long-term growth potential.
Over the past four years, LFG (Nova Registry) has successfully grown its flagship TLD, .LINK, from approximately 125,000 to more than 300,000 domains under management. This growth has been driven by innovative distribution strategies, the expansion of registrar partnerships, and a granular pricing model that has enabled .LINK to remain competitively priced while avoiding the significant fee increases implemented by some other registry operators.
LFG’s experience in the domain name industry has reinforced one of the key lessons from the 2012 application round: long-term sustainability is strengthened through portfolio diversification. By spreading operational costs and mitigating revenue fluctuations across multiple TLDs, LFG is better positioned to withstand market volatility and invest in continued growth. Accordingly, LFG believes that even obtaining a subset of the TLDs for which it has applied will establish a diversified portfolio capable of supporting long-term economic stability, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.
The mission and purpose of this TLD is to expand consumer choice by providing a clear namespace associated with markets, shops and trading centers. Registrants may include retailers, marketplaces, suppliers, buyers and communities. The purpose is sustainable because exchange and commerce remain continuing activities. The gTLD is not dependent on a single industry, technology, or business model and can accommodate evolving uses as technology and Internet activity develop.
Applicant designated Identity Digital as the RSP. Identity Digital enjoys a reputation of excellence as a domain name industry contributor and innovator. Applicant, along with Identity Digital’s team, will support this purpose through reliable registry operations, appropriate security and abuse-mitigation measures, transparent registration policies, and compliance with applicable ICANN requirements.
We are committed to the successful expansion of the Internet, the secure operation of the DNS, and the creation of a new segment of the web that will be admired and respected.
The mission of .MART is to provide a namespace associated with the concept of mart as a marketplace where commercial exchange takes place. The .MART gTLD is intended to serve a broad range of registrants and users, including individuals, businesses, organizations, communities, projects, and other entities that identify with, relate to, or wish to be associated with the concept represented by the applied-for string.
The purpose of .MART is to enable registrants to establish online identities using domain names that correspond to this concept. To achieve this purpose, Mystic Hammer, LLC will make .MART available for registration through registrars and other appropriate distribution channels; maintain a secure, stable, and reliable registry infrastructure; implement registration and operational policies that support the availability, security, and integrity of the namespace; and provide ongoing administration of the gTLD to enable registrants to register and use domain names within the namespace.
The purpose of .MART is sustainable over time because marketplaces where commercial exchange takes place will continue to play a fundamental and enduring role across society. As society and technology evolve, organizations and individuals will continue to establish online identities associated with the applied-for string.
1. Mission and purpose: The mission of .mart is to provide a namespace for retail and commerce, built on one of the most widely recognized retail suffixes in the world. Intended registrants include online stores and marketplaces; local shops, supermarkets and convenience retailers, a naming pattern especially prevalent across South and Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East; wholesalers; and e-commerce enablers. Intended users are shoppers and business buyers worldwide. Following delegation, the applicant will, as registry operator of the .mart TLD, conduct a phased launch, implement all ICANN-required rights protection mechanisms, and distribute the TLD through ICANN-accredited registrars, supported by marketing and outreach to build awareness and adoption among the intended registrant and user groups. The TLD will be operated under a comprehensive DNS abuse prevention and mitigation framework covering the full range of abuse types, combining proactive and reactive controls. Abuse reports will be investigated and actioned in line with applicable policy requirements. The objective is to maintain .mart as a high-quality, trusted namespace for registrants and end users.
2. Sustainability: Retail is a permanent pillar of every economy, and "mart" has served as a retail identifier for the better part of a century across physical and online commerce, with deep penetration in fast-growing emerging markets where small-business formation and e-commerce adoption continue to accelerate.
1. Describe the mission and purpose of the applied-for gTLD.
.mart helps retailers and online sellers create a clear and memorable online presence for buying and selling products, making it easier for shoppers to find and recognize them as a place to purchase. It turns a store name into an address that reads instantly as a marketplace, so the intent to sell is understood before a visitor even arrives.
Intended Registrants
Retailers, wholesalers, and merchants of all sizes; e-commerce operators; online marketplaces; grocery, convenience, and specialty stores; local shops seeking a recognizable web address; and brands that sell products directly to shoppers.
Intended Users: Shoppers and buyers looking for products online, comparison and deal seekers, small business customers sourcing goods, and communities that gather around local or category-specific selling.
Related Activities Supporting the Purpose:
• Awareness-building among retail and e-commerce audiences
• Registrar distribution across regions with active online-selling markets
• Registrant education on building a shopfront-style web address
• Community outreach to independent retailers and marketplace sellers
• Responsible registry operations
.mart gives sellers a short, instantly understood web address that signals one thing clearly: this is a place to shop. The word "mart" carries decades of retail familiarity, from neighborhood stores to sprawling online marketplaces, so a name ending in .mart tells visitors immediately what they will find. The purpose of the namespace is to give merchants a naming layer built around the act of buying and selling, helping a store turn its name into a memorable destination.
The namespace is intended to serve both large operators consolidating catalogs and independent merchants launching their first online shop. By anchoring the extension in a universally recognized retail word, .mart helps businesses stand out online, be found by shoppers, and present a presence that feels purpose-built for selling rather than borrowed from a general-purpose domain. The aim is to make the path from a brand name to a working storefront address shorter and more intuitive for anyone whose core activity is putting products in front of buyers.
2. Explain how this purpose is sustainable over time.
Buying and selling is one of the foundational engines of economic life. The exchange of goods for value organizes livelihoods, supply chains, and communities, and it does so continuously across every region and price point. The concept of a "mart," a defined place where that exchange happens, is durable because commerce itself is a recurring economic necessity rather than a passing trend.
What reinforces the relevance of .mart is the persistence of retail as an economic function. Merchants must always position their goods where buyers expect to find them, and buyers must always locate reliable sellers. This mutual dependency does not fade; it simply relocates as new formats emerge. Storefronts, catalogs, malls, and marketplaces have each expressed the same underlying idea, and each new commercial format still needs a recognizable name that signals "goods are sold here."
The relevance of .mart is therefore anchored in economic necessity: as long as value is exchanged for goods, sellers will need places that are unmistakably understood as marts, and .mart supplies exactly that meaning in a name. Its durability rests not on any single technology but on the ongoing, structural role of retail commerce in daily life.
1. Mission and purpose. This gTLD will be operated as an open, unrestricted generic top-level domain. Its purpose is to expand naming choice in the DNS by making this term available at the top level for any lawful use chosen by the registrant. Registrations will be available to all registrants on a first-come, first-served basis through ICANN-accredited registrars, subject only to the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. The applicant will not operate this gTLD on an exclusive basis.
2. Intended registrants and users. Intended registrants are individuals, businesses, and other organizations worldwide seeking a short, meaningful domain name. There are no eligibility or name selection restrictions beyond those required by the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. Intended users are internet users worldwide who access domain names registered in this gTLD.
3. Related activities. The applicant is an established registry operator under contract with ICANN for 35 gTLDs, including .xyz. It has in place a qualified Registry Service Provider, distribution agreements with ICANN-accredited registrars across multiple regions, and all required rights protection mechanisms and DNS abuse mitigation practices. For this gTLD the applicant will onboard the TLD to its existing registry platform, conduct a Sunrise Period and Trademark Claims Period, launch General Availability through its registrar channel, and maintain ongoing registrar enablement, abuse monitoring, and compliance reporting.
4. Sustainability. Operation is funded by recurring registration and renewal revenue and does not depend on any single registrant, sector, or campaign. This gTLD will run on the applicant's existing shared registry infrastructure, so incremental operating cost is low and no minimum registration volume is required for viability. The applicant has operated gTLDs continuously since 2014.