.markets

Overview

• .markets is a delegated generic top-level domain (gTLD) created through ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• The string is intended as an authoritative Internet space for information, services and resources related to financial derivative markets and trading, as proposed by applicant IG Group Holdings plc.

History

• Applicant / manager: IG Group Holdings PLC.
• Delegation: .markets was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on March 12, 2015.
• Registry: Verisign is listed as the registry for the string.
• Related applications: Donuts applied for a similar string, .market.
• Applicant background (from application): IG Group was established in 1974, is headquartered in London, operates globally with multiple offices, is listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a FTSE 250 company (market capitalization cited in the application as GBP 1.7 billion as of October 2011).

Usage and Audience

• Primary intended users:
  • IG Group, its affiliates and partners for promoting and communicating trading products and services (including CFDs and market trading).
  • Financial services and trading communities seeking an authoritative namespace for market-related information and tools.
• Purpose highlighted in the application:
  • Facilitate access to IG Group's browser-based trading platform (Pure Deal / IG Trader).
  • Provide an assurance of legitimacy and a secure, interactive space for market and CFD resources.

Registration Rules

• Managed/restricted model: The application describes .markets as having a "restricted nature," with the majority of anticipated registrations expected to be used by IG Group and its affiliates.
• Expected registration volume: The applicant projected a limited initial number of registrations (approximately 5–15 domains in the first few years), with potential growth as services and marketing expand.
• Future plans: IG Group indicated it may consider offering second-level domains to core trading customers at a later date for personal logins and platform access.
• Compliance: IG Group committed to complying with operational, technical and policy requirements, including obligations under the continued operations instrument (Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement).

SEO and Brand Impact

• Brand positioning: The application emphasizes that .markets would increase customer trust by creating a transparent, secure and authoritative online space for financial derivatives and trading services.
• Trust signals: Using a branded, industry-specific gTLD was presented as a way to assure users of the legitimacy of trading options offered by IG Group and affiliates.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Use by IG Group: The primary use case described is to support IG Group's marketing, service access and trading platforms (including Pure Deal / IG Trader).
• Award mention: The applicant noted that IG Group's online trading platform was named Best CFD Platform in 2008 and 2009 by readers of a Spanish financial weekly (as cited in the application).
• Related string: The similar applied-for string .market was pursued by another portfolio applicant, Donuts.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       MARKETS

organisation: Dog Beach, LLC
address:      c/o Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Vice President, Engineering
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldadmin@identity.digital

contact:      technical
name:         Senior Director, DNS Infrastructure Group
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldtech@identity.digital

nserver:      V0N0.NIC.MARKETS 2a01:8840:22:0:0:0:0:65 65.22.32.65
nserver:      V0N1.NIC.MARKETS 2a01:8840:23:0:0:0:0:65 65.22.33.65
nserver:      V0N2.NIC.MARKETS 2a01:8840:24:0:0:0:0:65 65.22.34.65
nserver:      V0N3.NIC.MARKETS 161.232.16.65 2a01:8840:fa:0:0:0:0:65
nserver:      V2N0.NIC.MARKETS 2a01:8840:25:0:0:0:0:65 65.22.35.65
nserver:      V2N1.NIC.MARKETS 161.232.17.65 2a01:8840:fb:0:0:0:0:65
ds-rdata:     58144 8 2 2c079f760779074e6ce68307c28f88f7b75d9fd6cfd65bec5c95c38d3ebfc614

whois:        whois.nic.markets

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.identity.digital/

created:      2015-03-06
changed:      2023-09-12
source:       IANA