.spreadbetting

Status:	Delegated
Registry Provider:	Verisign
Type:	Generic
Category:	Commerce
Priority #:	957 - IG Group Holdings PLC
More information:

.spreadbetting is a delegated TLD in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The manager and registry is IG Group Holdings PLC. The proposed application succeeded and was delegated to the Root Zone on 13 March, 2015.

Application Details

The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:

"The .spreadbetting gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, which will be closely controlled by IG Group Holdings plc (IG Group), a reputable and market leading organisation in the financial spread betting industry. This will serve the interests of end users by ensuring increased trust in the authenticity of products and assurance of the security and stability of the site. Further, the .spreadbetting gTLD will promote convenience and utility of a unified internet space for products, services, education and information about financial spread betting. The majority of anticipated domain name registrations in the .spreadbetting gTLD will be used by IG Group and its affiliates in promotion and communication of financial spread betting as a transparent and viable investment opportunity offered by IG Group.

IG Group is a world-leading provider of retail derivatives, namely, financial spread betting and contracts for difference (CFDs) trading. IG Group was established in 1974, has its headquarters in London and operates globally with 14 global offices in several European countries, Japan, Singapore and Australia. IG Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange, is a member of the FTSE 250 and has a market capital value of GBP 1.7 billion (as at October 2011). IG Group is a world-leading provider of financial derivatives. IG Index, as part of the IG Group, was the world’s first financial spread betting company and continues to be the market leader for spread betting in the UK (according to a 2011 report by Investment Trends). IG Index was awarded ‘best spread betting firm⁄broker’ by the What Investment magazine 3 years in a row (2011, 2010, 2009); the Financial Times⁄Investors Chronicle Awards (2011); the Money AM Online Finance Awards (2010), and the Trade2Win Members’ Choice Awards (2010). As such, IG Group has a significant global reputation in financial spread betting services. The .spreadbetting gTLD will allow IG Group to provide spread betting resources and potential services to online customers in a secure, interactive and authoritative internet space.

New products and investment opportunities are increasingly offered over the internet, presenting customers with a wider choice of easily accessibly investment products. As a result, both businesses and end users benefit from ease of interaction and a wider range of choices with lower transaction costs. However, the developments in this arena in the current domain name system have exposed customers to confusion and have exposed both businesses and consumers to increased criminal activities over the internet, including data breach, hacking and phishing. These sophisticated criminal activities cause reputational damage to businesses as internet users lose consumer confidence and trust with the businesses targeted by such criminal activities. The .spreadbetting gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users, potentially offering financial spread betting services and reliable educational content relating to financial spread betting in a secure online environment provided by IG Group, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction."