CSC released their Domain Trends Report 2026. The report looks at registration patterns shaping global domain name strategy and brand protection
a few key takeaways from the report:
- Among the most common new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) registered by companies is .xyz, which is also one of the most common domains used for fraudulent websites
- The number of registered .ai domains increased from 148,000 in late 2022 – when ChatGPT was launched – to over 1 million in 2026, representing almost 7% of total domain market volume and making it one of the top non-.com domain extensions
- Although .co – the country code TLD for Colombia – is one of the most registered TLDs, Colombia is not featured on the 20 highest GDP list because .co is often used as a substitute for .com, increasing the risk of it being used for fraud
- Corporations tend to register three types of new gTLDs for practical and/or protective purposes: Geographic extensions, Generic terms that could be used in phishing attacks or fraudulent websites because they appear legitimate, and Defensive registration for reputation-sensitive terms they don’t want associated with their brand
You can download here