Victoria d’Este
Printed: September 03, 2025 at 10:55 am Up to date: September 03, 2025 at 10:55 am
Edited and fact-checked:
September 03, 2025 at 10:55 am
In Transient
Inder Singh, VP of Product & Expertise at D3, discusses DomainFi’s potential to remodel the hidden market of firms buying and selling hundreds of thousands of domains like shares.
Few folks notice that complete firms exist with portfolios of hundreds of thousands of domains, quietly buying and selling them like shares. On this interview, Inder Singh, VP of Product & Expertise at D3, reveals how DomainFi is about to remodel that hidden market by transferring domains on-chain, turning them into programmable belongings that mix the worlds of Web2 and Web3.
May you share your journey to Web3?
I’m the VP of Product and Expertise at D3, and I used to be a part of the founding staff when D3 began in 2023. I’ve been within the trade for over 20 years, and that is now my seventh startup. I’ve at all times been an enormous fan of startup tradition. Fred, our CEO at D3, and I really constructed one other firm collectively earlier than. When he began D3 in 2023, he requested me to hitch him once more.
Most of my background has been in massive information methods. Fred and I ran an enormous information advertising and promoting firm, and I’ve additionally performed plenty of analysis in that space. About 4 years in the past, I began ATM.com, an organization centered on serving to folks earn and reinvest their cash utilizing information. That was my first step into fintech, which finally led me into crypto. Due to that journey, I discovered myself right here at D3.
What’s the working definition of DomainFi? Цhich ache factors in as we speak’s DNS and ENS ecosystems does it clear up?
Domains are fairly sophisticated, they usually’re not restricted to 1 use. We use them for web sites, portfolios, buying, and extra. ENS has been nice as a utility for addressing Web3 methods, nevertheless it doesn’t totally bridge into present web sites or dot-com decision. Rivals have additionally been pretty restricted in scope.
With DomainFi, our imaginative and prescient is larger. It’s not nearly making a Web3 model of a site, however about bringing the worth of domains on-chain as programmable belongings. For instance, everybody is aware of that chat.com is efficacious, even when we are able to’t agree on the precise value. There’s a large world economic system round shopping for and promoting names, and Web3 is the perfect instrument to unlock monetary worth from methods. DomainFi goals to deliver domains on-chain in a means that integrates seamlessly with DeFi protocols.
Who do you see as the first early adopters of DomainFi: merchants, Web3 natives, manufacturers, or registries?
I feel there are two principal teams. The primary are present area buyers, folks already shopping for and promoting names. For them, DomainFi gives higher worth, extra merchandise, and extra innovation. Proper now, platforms like AfterNic cost charges as much as 25%, and the method is proscribed. With DomainFi, buyers can entry lending, leasing, and different options way more simply.
The second group is individuals who simply need publicity to RWAs. They might not care particularly about domains, however they need a reliable asset class. For instance, somebody may not spend $30 million on chat.com, however they might simply make investments $5,000 in a portfolio of AI-related names as a result of they know AI is heating up. These are the early adopters we anticipate.
Are domains natively on-chain belongings, wrapped representations of DNS names, or each? How do you keep away from fragmentation between wrappers?
Our protocol doesn’t situation domains instantly; you at all times get a site from a registrar. So after we create on-chain representations, they’re issued by registrars.
I don’t see Web2 and Web3 domains as separate issues. When you switch your area on-chain, it strikes in each worlds. For instance, whenever you go to D3.com, it’s nonetheless the identical area, no matter whether or not it has an on-chain token. Very like checking your financial institution stability from completely different apps, the underlying asset is identical. Registrars already management issuance, so tokenization is just one other layer underneath their management.
If DomainFi succeeds, what does a superb consequence appear like for customers, registries, or open web requirements?
For customers, success means simpler entry to domains reminiscent of RWAs and the innovation that may come from placing them on-chain. For registries and registrars, it opens a complete new wave of merchandise. Proper now, registrars primarily promote web sites and e-mail, however with Web3, they’ll be capable to provide way more, driving area gross sales and utility.
For web requirements, DNS is already decentralized. Our hope is to make it extra programmable, with higher registry integrations and on-chain representations. That advantages the entire ecosystem.
How do you think about folks utilizing domains past merely holding them?
The primary massive use case shall be on-chain portfolios of names. There are firms as we speak that personal hundreds of thousands of domains and flip them for revenue. Transferring that exercise on-chain makes it simpler and extra liquid.
Then we’ll see extra DeFi merchandise emerge, fractionalization, lending, leasing, and collateralization. Think about with the ability to fractionalize a premium identify like chat.com and use it for liquidity, like taking a mortgage towards a million-dollar home. Over time, every thing we see in DeFi: yield swimming pools, RWA-backed loans, collateralization, shall be out there to area holders.
Do you see domains connecting with messaging, funds, or decentralized id?
Completely. Domains might be mapped to pockets addresses, messaging IDs, and extra. For instance, messaging protocols like XMTP require exchanging keys, which isn’t user-friendly. However domains are memorable. With ENS and DNSSEC, and finally Doma names, you may map pockets addresses, XMTP handles, and public keys on to a site.
That blurs the road between Web2 and Web3. Domains may unify internet decision, id, and communication in a single place.
What measures are in place to stop misuse or theft of priceless names?
That’s the energy of the present system. Nobody worries about Amazon.com being stolen, as a result of DNS already has robust protections like UDRP, registry locks, and registrar locks. Domains are decentralized sufficient to keep away from misuse whereas nonetheless regulated sufficient to make sure stability. We’re not reinventing the wheel; we’re extending Web2’s trusted protections into Web3.
How do you be certain domains stay accessible and never simply managed by speculators?
Web3 ranges the taking part in area. Any token, NFT, or area on-chain is accessible to everybody. Proper now, speculators dominate, however the course of of shopping for domains is damaged, with negotiations, brokers, and weeks of back-and-forth. By making speculative names extra accessible, we simplify the method for normal customers. Hypothesis gained’t disappear, however entry shall be a lot simpler.
What’s your view on possession disputes, emblems, and conflicts over names?
Trademark disputes are already dealt with by way of well-established processes that registries and registrars comply with. For instance, Amazon.com doesn’t fear about squatters as a result of the system acknowledges its trademark rights. Disputes undergo due course of, with checks and balances in place.
Since tokens are issued by registrars, those self same guidelines apply on-chain. It might battle with the thought of totally permissionless methods, however domains, like homes or automobiles, are topic to the legal guidelines of the nation the place they’re registered.
Which integrations or partnerships are most vital for achievement?
Proper now, our principal focus is on constructing the protocol accurately. The great thing about DeFi is that after you have a legitimate token, it really works in every single place: Aave, Morpho, liquidity swimming pools, value feeds, and extra.
For us, the secret is utility and belief. When you see a token backed by Hockey.com, it’s good to really feel assured that it’s professional. As soon as that belief is in place, partnerships with DeFi platforms will comply with naturally.
How would you measure success for DomainFi, D3, and the Doma Protocol within the subsequent 12 to 24 months?
Two issues stand out. First, we would like not less than half of the highest 10 registrars worldwide providing tokenization by way of Doma. Meaning hundreds of thousands, if not billions, of customers getting onboarded to Web3 each time they purchase a site.
Second, we would like on a regular basis folks to put money into domains with no need to know the trade. Similar to placing cash into an ETF, they need to be capable to put money into area portfolios and profit from appreciation. That might imply we’ve unlocked area worth for each superior merchants and common customers.
Disclaimer
In keeping with the Belief Mission tips, please notice that the data offered on this web page shouldn’t be supposed to be and shouldn’t be interpreted as authorized, tax, funding, monetary, or another type of recommendation. It is very important solely make investments what you may afford to lose and to hunt unbiased monetary recommendation you probably have any doubts. For additional info, we advise referring to the phrases and situations in addition to the assistance and assist pages offered by the issuer or advertiser. MetaversePost is dedicated to correct, unbiased reporting, however market situations are topic to alter with out discover.
About The Creator
Victoria is a author on a wide range of expertise subjects together with Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her in depth expertise permits her to put in writing insightful articles for the broader viewers.
Extra articles
Victoria d’Este
Victoria is a author on a wide range of expertise subjects together with Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her in depth expertise permits her to put in writing insightful articles for the broader viewers.
