Verisign Q2 earnings surge on .com growth, .web launch nears

Verisign’s second-quarter results show sustained momentum in the .com namespace, with new registrations hitting an all-time high and the company preparing to introduce the .web top-level domain after years of legal delays.

Record registrations and revenue growth

The registry reported 12.7 million new .com and .net registrations in the quarter ending 30 June 2026, a 21% year-over-year increase. After accounting for deletions, the domain base grew by 3.05 million names, the largest quarterly net gain on record. Nearly all of this growth came from .com, which added 3 million domains under management. Verisign attributed the surge to registrar customer-acquisition campaigns, its own channel marketing programs, and the broader ease of website creation driven by AI tools.

Revenue rose 6.0% year over year, and the company raised its full-year guidance for both revenue and operating income. The new revenue forecast of $1.745 billion to $1.755 billion represents a $15 million increase at the midpoint, while operating income guidance climbed by $10 million to a range of $1.185 billion to $1.195 billion. Verisign also noted that the Q1 renewal rate was the highest in two decades, though final figures for Q2 will not be available until the next quarter closes.

The company acknowledged that some registrants may be renewing domains early to lock in prices before the scheduled 1 November 2026 price increase, but described the impact as immaterial. Due to the way Verisign recognizes revenue over time, it expects roughly half of the revenue from the price hike to be realized in 2027, with most of the remainder in 2028.

.web launch timeline and matching-domain period

Verisign announced on 22 July 2026 that it had completed the delegation of the .web top-level domain, ending a decade-long dispute. The launch will begin with a 90-day mandatory technical testing period, followed by a 30-day trademark sunrise phase. After that, the registry will open a limited registration window during which holders of existing .com domains can register the matching .web name. Verisign did not disclose whether the matching-domain period will carry a premium price or how it will compare to general availability pricing.

The company confirmed in its 10-Q filing that the costs of resolving the .web dispute were not material to its financials. Premium pricing for high-value .web domains is expected, and analysts anticipate that even matching-domain registrations may incur premium fees for desirable names.

New security product in development

Verisign also provided an update on an unannounced security product first teased in May 2026. The rollout of blog posts describing the product was delayed to focus on .web delegation, but the company now plans to reveal details in the coming months. CEO Jim Bidzos described the product as security-focused, leveraging Verisign’s infrastructure for high-assurance, high-performance services in public key infrastructure and DNS security. The offering is positioned to address performance and scalability challenges in AI-driven online services amid an evolving threat landscape.

What to watch

The next milestones for Verisign include the completion of the .web testing period, the start of the matching-domain registration window, and the formal unveiling of its new security product. The registry’s ability to convert .com growth into sustained .web adoption will be closely watched, as will the financial impact of the November price increase on 2027 revenue.