TL,DR
- D3 launched Frontier, a program that allows users to deposit assets into Solana and Hyperliquid vaults to earn priority points on internet domain names.
- The vaults are supported by Loopscale on Solana and by Hyperion DeFi and Upshift on Hyperliquid, with plans to add other chains.
- ICANN confirmed that 1,616 applications met the requirements to move forward in its 2026 round of new domain extensions.
D3, the main contributor to Doma Protocol, announced the launch of Frontier during Korea Blockchain Week. The program allows users to deposit eligible assets into vaults integrated with DeFi platforms to accumulate priority points on internet domain names before they become available to the general public. Priority does not equate to domain ownership, but rather to early access before open registration.
The mechanism operates through two initial vaults. Loopscale backs the vault on Solana, while Hyperion DeFi and Upshift back the one on Hyperliquid. According to D3, vaults on other chains will be added in the coming months.
Members can deposit assets with enabled providers, thereby accumulating points and committing them toward extensions offered by participating registries. It is these registries, not the vaults, that determine the deadlines and eligibility requirements for each extension.
D3 and the Domains of the ICANN Cycle
More than 20 applicants and registries committed to the program before the Reveal Day of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the date on which the organization will publish details of the applications that passed its administrative reviews. ICANN confirmed that 1,616 applications met the payment requirement to move forward, out of a total of 1,663 submitted before the August 12 deadline.
Among the extensions D3 mentioned as possible are .agent, .wallet, .sol, and .robot. Hyunsu Jung, CEO of Hyperion DeFi, noted that the agreement would give the Hyperliquid community access to the program while the new extensions are evaluated. Scott Lee, Korea Director at the Solana Foundation, highlighted the potential of domains on Solana.
The firm has a significant financial track record. In January 2025, D3 raised $25 million in a Series A round led by Paradigm, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, to develop Doma Protocol, designed to represent conventional internet domains on a blockchain.
Fred Hsu, CEO and co-founder of D3, described Frontier as the entry point for crypto users into what he called a “domain supercycle”, as the 2026 ICANN round moves toward the formal evaluation of submitted applications.
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