This article breaks down the key areas driving ENS’s growth. Stuff like increasing partnerships, integrations, accessibility, dev tooling, name and subname registrations, protocol revenue, strengthening its market position, brand reputation and awareness, and increasing education about improving UX, security, and onboarding, through human-readable names.

I’ll also look at the factors behind ENS’s success so far. By analyzing development choices, growth strategies, successful partnerships, ecosystem initiatives, and emerging narratives, we can see how each factor has contributed to the growth of ENS and will continue to shape its future.

I’ll also highlight which integrations and verticals hold the most potential for further adoption, how they align with ENS’s growth objectives, which strategic partnerships could propel ENS forward the most and solidify its #1 spot in the market, and how Namespace contributes.

This includes all industries we engaged with in 2024, finding product market fit for ENS in different verticles, figuring out key value propositions for each, and how to best communicate it. It’s worth understanding how ENS is being adopted across different sectors, where its use can be expanded, simplified, and replicated to drive even more adoption.

This article can be called many names and can serve multiple purposes. It could be a Guide for new Service Providers, Roadmap for ENS growth, Focus areas for go-to-market strategy, What worked best for ENS, All-encompassing ENS knowledge base, or Lessons from the Service Provider in the trenches.

That said, you should look at this article as a stream of thoughts based on real-world experience of 2 years working with ENS.

I’m going for raw value here.

1. Offchain subnames

2. L2 Subnames

   1. Rollups, RaaS, App chains

3. Integrations

   1. Dev tooling support

   2. Public web3 libraries

   3. Blockchain tools and service companies

   4. Projects, Dapps, Companies

   5. Institutions

4. Partnerships

   1. Wallets

   2. Wallet-as-a-Service providers (AA service: smart accounts)

   3. Social networks

   4. Games

   5. CEXes (mention trends here that they are launching their own wallets)

   6. Crypto payments

   7. Identity-related products

   8. Web3 browsers

   9. Brands

   10. Other consumer apps

5. AI: autonomous identity

6. Domain Tokenization

7. ENS Labs

8. ENS developers (ecosystem, talent (acquisition and retention))

9. ENS Community (trust, loyalty, retention)

10. Degen-friendly strategies

For those who don’t know - Offchain subnames refer to a concept related to allowing gas-free offchain-stored Subnames AKA ENS-based identity for wallets and addresses. Considering their massive success I think they deserve to take the number one spot in terms of being mentioned as one of the best growth strategies for ENS.

It’s estimated there are currently between 15-20M offchain subnames. The biggest issuers are cb.id (issued through Coinbase wallet), then uni.eth (issued through Uniswap wallet), and many other wallets either considering or already building using Offchain subname infrastructure (usually our Namespace or Namestone subnames).

Advantages of ENS Offchain Subnames and the reasons for their success:

• Gasless & Cost-Efficient: No expensive transactions are required for subname issuance or updates.

• Easy to implement: you can run your own subname infra or use existing third-party solutions for faster implementation (E.g. Namespace Dev)

• Scalable: Can support millions of subnames without overwhelming the Ethereum network.

• Permissioned Issuance: Allow fine-grained control over who can create and manage subnames.

• Flexible Storage Options: Subname data can be stored on IPFS, Arweave, databases, or even a DAO-governed registry.

• Better for Web2-style UX: Makes ENS more accessible for onboarding users without crypto knowledge.

• Smoother wallet onboarding: first-time wallet users are not required to have money to pay for gas to claim subnames.

We’ve been deeply involved in building tooling and infrastructure to simplify ENS subname issuance, including:

• Namespace SDK – Allows developers to easily integrate ENS subnames into apps, wallets, and services.

• Namespace Dev – Allows developers to create and manage Offchain Subnames, generate API key, use Namespace hybrid resolver, and implement Subname registration in your app in minutes.

• Custom Subname Services – Assisting projects with setting up ENS-based identity and naming systems.

Namespace’s goal is to make ENS subnames the default identity standard across crypto apps and AI agents, but more on that later.

Once we build the necessary standards and technology to seamlessly support all cross-chain actions, and everything runs smoothly across all Web3 chains and services, and especially since we’re anticipating the launch of Namechain, migrating Offchain subnames will be the easiest to do to Namechain, hopefully, their final residential address.

Building in Web3 is tough. Constant changes, upgrades, breaking points, outdated libraries, and often-times poor support make the tech stack far less mature than Web2. And rightfully so, compared to Web3, the Web2 world has existed for decades and is a lot more robust.

Offchain subnames offer a gradual transition from Web2 to a fully onchain, decentralized, and permissionless Web3. They serve as the first (pain-free) step toward moving operations onchain.

Once we build the necessary standards and technology for seamless cross-chain interactions, and everything runs smoothly across all Web3 chains and services, and as Web3 infrastructure matures, especially with the launch of Namechain, migrating Offchain subnames to Namechain will be the easiest and sweetest step.

And plus, companies love offchain subnames due to 1) ease of implementation, 2) flexibility in ownership structures, and 3) no gas costs for their users.

L2 chains are pioneering a human-readable revolution by natively integrating and offering ENS as a service, allowing their users to get onchain identity and their ecosystem projects to leverage its utility by using it in their apps.

Linea started minting subnames from linea.eth and minted a whopping 350k subnames in a month for free for their entire community.

Base did the same thing from base.eth and minted over 400k subnames in about 10 days and recently reported a profit of 300 ETH from registrations and renewals and are at 750k base.eth subnames - mindblowing!

We’re also seeing more efforts and interest from other chains such as ZKsync, led by the team behind Clave Wallet that started issuing ZKsync subnames from clv.eth to their users.

There’s an emerging interest and close collaboration with other L2 chains such as Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, and as seen in the works of the official ENS Service Providers such as Namespace, Namestone, and Blockful, and other ecosystem builders that are dipping their toes in the Subname business, or as Variant would call it - namespace-as-a-service.

Considering the massive success of Base and Linea naming service launches, hopefully, this inspires all of their ecosystem projects that build on those L2 chains, to do the same, integrate ENS into their dapps, and start offering subname registrations to their community and users. I cannot stress hard enough how important it is that Linea and Base did this and laid a blueprint that others can follow! With ENS moving to its own L2, and with the help of Service Providers, I see a lot more L2s adopting this.

L2 chains function like self-contained economies, each with its own ecosystem, currency, and economic focus. They create independent environments (dapps, protocols, networks) where value is generated, exchanged, and accumulated, much like in traditional economies. Smart contracts + transactions are the unit of economic measure in these L2s and foster economic activity through various services and apps.

Therefore, L2 chains are striving to increase onchain activity by bringing more builders on their chains. Bringing the entire protocol such as ENS, which perfectly does a one job for these economies–naming–and is interoperable, modular, multichain, and extendible by design, therefore it can be used for almost any use case, and primarily for solving a cold-start problem for onchain identity, gives more reason to have it natively embedded on these L2s.

Furthermore, enabling all users onchain to have an identity where all of their addresses, socials, and profile information converge in a single standardized and widely accepted ENS profile, making their onchain interaction more user-friendly, intuitive, and human-like, is a strong argument for integrating ENS.

The transition from fully trustful offchain subnames (e.g., thecap.cb.id) to trust-minimized L2 subnames (e.g., thecap.base.eth) is the first step towards self-sovereign identity. Solutions such as having ENS names on the L1 chain and subnames minted and secured on the L2 chains are a step in the right direction. However, to have a fully decentralized, permissionless, trustless, and unruggable subnames, it would involve burning certain fuses which adds a layer of complexity.

Making L2 subnames completely unruggable enforces some permanent modifications to the ENS name (until it expires and resets all fuses). Therefore, we highly suggest to owners not to make L2 subnames fully unruggable unless it’s absolutely 100% necessary. Even then, I would urge anyone doing it to test it on Sepolia first.

I can’t help but wonder, what would happen if all L2 chains whose tech stack is used to launch an ‘ecosystem’ chain, what would happen if all of them had namespace-as-a-service and were able to implement chain-wide naming service for all their users and ecosystem builders, similar to what Base did with Basenames. What if Optimism did it for its Superchains ecosystem (Zora, Mode, Worldchain…), what if Arbitrum did it for its Orbit ecosystem (One, Stylus, Nitro), what if ZKsync did it for its Elastic chains (Treasure, Zero, Lens, etc.)…

All natively supporting ENS!

This brings us to the next gigantic opportunity for ENS growth.

There was a time when I could keep up with everything in crypto - every new chain and its design, every new protocol and its features, every new DEX and its AMM innovation, etc. But our space moves at lightning speed, and it’s impossible to track it all. I may not know exactly how rollups will be used en masse, but one thing is clear: they’re gaining massive traction! That’s why ENS needs to be there from day one - natively integrated with every new rollup, providing easy-to-setup naming services from the ground up.

Let me get you bullish - what if every new rollup, the moment it launched, automatically supported ENS name resolution and subname registrations across all its apps? Or at the very least, made ENS integration so simple that enabling it was as easy as flipping a switch? App chains are coming, and we need to ensure ENS is positioned adequately for that shift.

I also expect we’ll see many rollups built using the Namechain tech stack, and we should make it effortless for them to integrate subname registration. But now we’re getting into speculation territory and that’s a discussion for another time.

They say that if something happens once, it might be a coincidence, but if it happens twice, the third time is inevitable. With ENS already integrated into Base and Linea (and great support for Base, Optimism, and ZKsync), it’s only a matter of time before other chains follow suit. And there’s plenty we can do to make that adoption smoother, faster, and more seamless for them.

This can be a job for one service provider, for example, to exclusively focus on bizdev and integrations in L2 chains + protocols. We could also have a case study of how Base and Linea did it, an implementation process overview, tools used, and custom solutions built around naming such as reputation, identity, etc. distribution mechanisms for subnames, monetization strategies, and so on. All of this should contribute to making it easier for others to do it.

One approach could be dedicating a service provider solely to business development and integrations with L2 chains, rollups, dev tooling providers, and protocols. Another would be creating a detailed case study on how Base and Linea implemented ENS, covering the integration process, tools used, and any custom solutions built around naming, such as reputation systems, identity frameworks, subname distribution mechanisms, and monetization strategies.

By providing these resources, we can lower the barrier for other chains to adopt ENS and accelerate its expansion across the ecosystem.

We recently met with a very prominent RaaS provider that manages over 2,000 active rollups, most of which are thriving in their own right. And by “thriving,” I mean they’re building apps and tools tailored to specific industries, solving real problems in niche markets, and attracting millions of users.

The idea of offering Namespace-as-a-Service to every one of them, giving each rollup its own dedicated namespace to issue ENS-based identities to its users, is seriously exciting. The potential for insane: rollup-wide identity systems built on ENS is massive.

We aim to establish ourselves as the leading Subname Service Provider, or Namespace-as-a-Service provider, for RaaS platforms. Every RaaS provider already offers complementary services alongside their core offerings—such as RPCs, SDKs, hosting, indexing, DA support, etc. Our goal is to become their official naming service partner, providing a Rollup Naming Service that seamlessly integrates with their ecosystems. We’re incredibly excited about this opportunity, as we see it as one of the most high-impact, high-potential plays in the space.

Integrations refer to companies or products that incorporate ENS as part of their technology stack or offering. Integrations are primarily about technology adoption and building ENS into the product or service itself as a feature or utility that improves its overall user experience.

Integrations can serve to increase ENS accessibility - i.e. adding ENS to developer libraries like web3js, Viem, Ethers.js, WAGMI, etc. Other blockchain tools and services companies would benefit from offering their clients (developers/teams) a seamless ENS integration with its basic (resolution) and extended (subname issuance) utility.

The value proposition and the entire business model of these companies and public goods depend on the quality of the dev services they offer, and having ENS support natively embedded in their offering certainly adds to their appeal. Their business model revolves around getting more developers to use their services. As more developers come there, by having ENS supported, we’ll be directly onboarding more people on ENS. More integrations allow other developers to more easily discover and add ENS support in their apps.

The key to ENS success so far is ~1000 integrations making it one of the most popular protocols and making it the naming standard of Web3. The power of all these integrations enables ENS to claim the title of “Web3 universal username” for its .eth names and subnames, which are resolvable in all apps.

As ENS adoption grows across various projects and applications, distinct patterns emerge in what developers and users specifically need. By identifying these needs, we can build tailored features and tools that make ENS integration seamless.

For example, we see the emergence of Subnames on L2s and the spark in their interest in L2s and other L2-based projects. Therefore, we can build tools for developers and non-tech users that would allow them to easily start issuing subnames on those L2s, thus streamlining the adoption of ENS with one use-case-specific application (subname issuance).

For instance, with the rise of subnames on L2s and the increasing interest from L2-based projects, there’s a clear opportunity to develop tools that simplify subname issuance there. By creating solutions for both developers and non-technical users, we can accelerate ENS adoption with a dedicated, use-case-specific application - subname issuance on L2s. This mental model allowed me personally to discover and recognize the opportunity with rollup-as-a-service providers and I think the argument to pursue this opportunity has a lot of merit.

This is the primary thesis for building our platform and the Namespace SDK – easy L2 subname registrations and management for your apps. And I assume this is the primary thesis for building Durin that does the same thing. Another team that did a great job here is Unruggable team with Unrrugable Gateways.

It’s of utmost importance that ENS is readily available in some of the most popular and most used Web3 libraries such as Web3js, Viem, Ethers.js, etc. The reason this is very important is that these libraries depend on new their users (developers) being happy. And how do they make them happy? By providing the most comprehensive suite of tools they need to build their apps in the blockchain space. The business model of these companies relies on attracting and nurturing their developer community. As more developers join, ENS will directly be exposed to more developers. And as ENS awareness gradually rises through marketing, BizDev, educational, promotional, and other efforts, it will be increasingly requested in these dev environments with all its features and capabilities.

Insight and a tip: Blockchain tools and service (usually private) companies that offer best-in-class tools for developers to build their dapps, have started launching external ‘marketplaces’ for others to promote their products by enabling them to work with their marketplace. This way, new and existing projects and protocols gain immediate exposure to thousands or hundreds of thousands of developers in some cases, and these blockchain tools and service companies are increasing their service offering by essentially outsourcing it and opening it to the public so that anyone can build and deploy them there on their marketplace that their developers can use.

To be clear: anyone who needs blockchain naming can (and should) integrate ENS. And if someone thinks they don’t need a blockchain naming system, they simply haven’t learned about ENS yet. Because once they do, they’ll realize they do need it.

ENS’s success is no secret, mainly attributed to its extensive integrations across Web3. Over 1,000+ projects and companies support ENS resolution, allowing users to see their ENS name, avatar, and records displayed across countless apps and websites. This widespread adoption is what gives ENS its power.

Given how important integrations have been to ENS’s success, we must double down on expanding them. Every project, dapp, protocol, and chain - anywhere ENS can enhance user experience, even slightly - should have an easy path to integration. I strongly support establishing a dedicated DevRel + BizDev team focused solely on driving new ENS integrations, helping companies of all sizes onboard ENS, and even building custom solutions when mutually beneficial.

I believe a future is coming where wallet addresses are replaced entirely by .eth names and subnames. Naming services will be a default feature for every app, and ENS will resolve automatically, everywhere. When that happens, we’ll no longer need to actively pursue integrations and partnerships, and I’ll be happy to see it.

One very interesting and important thing about institutional adoption, whether it’s governments, banks, or large enterprises, is that once a system is adopted at this level, it tends to stay in place for decades. These institutions are slow to change, making adoption a challenge, but once ENS is integrated, it becomes a long-term fixture. This is more of a strategic move than anything else.

There should be an effort from the ENS Labs BD team but also Namespace and other service providers, to try and get integrated with any of these institutional types of clients. Once we have one, let’s say a bank for example, we can use them to create a case study, or a blueprint of how others can do it, what are the benefits ENS brought to them, increase in customer satisfaction, user acquisition and retention, and whatever other KPIs they track to measure their success and how ENS had a (hopefully) positive impact on it.

There should be an active effort by ENS Labs BD team, Namespace’s BD team, and other service providers to actively pursue integrations with institutional-level clients. The key is securing one major integration, for example, a bank, and then leveraging it as a case study. This blueprint could outline:

• How the institution integrated ENS (implementation details)

• Benefits ENS brought (e.g., improved customer satisfaction, strengthened security, increased user acquisition and retention, simplified day-to-day use of crypto-related services, etc.)

• Key performance metrics (KPIs) proving ENS’s impact and measurable results

What could they use ENS for? - Identity, verification, naming.

Another major entry point for institutional adoption is through rollups and sidechains. I strongly believe institutions will either launch their own chains or launch on existing ecosystems using established tech stacks like Optimism, Arbitrum, zkSync, Linea, or other RaaS solutions.

A great example is ZKsync which recently announced Deutsche Bank, Tradeable, and WonderFi launching their own Elastic Chains using its tech stack. Another noteworthy mention goes to QuarkID for using the ZKsync chain to issue 3.6M digital identities to people in Buenos Aires! (*hint, they all need names ;))

Partnerships involve organizations or entities that collaborate with ENS in a more strategic or promotional way. This can include businesses that actively promote, co-brand, or distribute ENS (tokens, or names and subnames) as part of a larger value proposition. Partnerships are more about strategic alignment and mutual benefit, often involving marketing, cross-promotion, or co-development opportunities to help grow both ENS and the partner’s ecosystem. These efforts are closely tied to integrations, as successful partnerships often cannot exist without solid integrations in place.

If we want to transform the entire crypto user experience - from changing how wallets are displayed to giving every user universally resolvable names, we need a collective effort from the entire Web3 community. But more than that, ENS Labs and service providers must put partnerships high on the priority list to secure this transformation.

Something that has been working and I expect it to continue working is the following.

• Wallets

• Wallet-as-a-Service providers (AA service: smart accounts)

• Social networks

• Games

• CEXes (mention trends here that they are launching their own wallets)

• Payments

• Identity-related products

• Web3 browsers

• Brands

• Messaging apps and protocols

• Communities, Blogs, Influencers

• Other consumer apps

Wallets are essential to the crypto industry because they serve as the primary interface between users and blockchains. They provide secure access to your assets and the web3 app you interact with. Wallets enable blockchain interaction and are the gateway to… financial freedom 👀 They provide you with full ownership and control over your assets and are cryptographically secured. They allow access to the entire crypto ecosystem - invest, trade, and participate in a $2.4 trillion market (at the time of writing).

Furthermore, wallets are onboarding vehicles for the masses. Every wallet has a clear call to action: “Come to crypto, use our wallet.” For games, it’s about playing and spending money. For DeFi projects, it’s lending, borrowing, and investing. For social apps, it’s connecting and sharing. Wallets, however, must first sell you on the vision of crypto as a whole. Hence, the onboarding vehicles for the masses.

However, with account abstraction and smart wallets - games, DeFi projects, dApps, and platforms are also becoming wallet providers. As wallet issuance becomes decentralized, we need to ensure that ENS is integrated everywhere, across all these touchpoints.

• Coinbase Wallet (cb.id): has issued around 11 million subnames so far. These offchain subnames are gasless to claim, stored offchain (typically in centralized databases), and use CCIP-read for resolution. While the technical implementation and characteristics are well-known, the real potential of offchain subnames lies in their broader impact.

  Imagine 11 million Coinbase Wallet users, each with a username in the form of an ENS subname (thecap.cb.id). This subname works seamlessly within the Coinbase Wallet app, but it also resolves in any other wallet, dApp, protocol, chain, or client that supports ENS.

  What excites me most is how offchain subnames serve as a frictionless entry point into the ENS ecosystem. They allow users to quickly adopt a Web3 identity with minimal effort and understanding required. I believe companies with large user bases will leverage offchain subnames to introduce their users to Web3.

  Once users have an offchain subname, they could easily claim the same subname onchain - whether on L1s, L2s, or even some app chains. The process would be as simple as flipping a switch to claim their subname onchain. I think Coinbase (cb.id) will likely implement a similar feature, taking into account lessons learned from Base.eth subnames.

• Uniswap Wallet (uni.eth): Uniswap recently launched its Wallet and integrated ENS, issuing subnames under the uni.eth name. As of now, they’ve issued around 1 million subnames. This approach provides a unified, cohesive digital identity for all users, making it easier to manage their interactions across the platform.

  Whether for airdrops, promotions, or simply showcasing a user’s identity, these subnames simplify operations and enhance the user experience. By consolidating identities under a single ENS namespace, Uniswap is streamlining its digital ecosystem and strengthening its connection with users.

  Rainbow Wallet (ENS registrations): might be one of the first, if not the first, wallets to fully integrate ENS. They’ve taken it a step further by allowing users to register ENS names directly within the app. This is a prime example of attention to detail and quality in product design.

  While ENS may not be strictly necessary, meaning your wallet can function without it, offering it shows a certain class,

It would be really valuable to see measurable data that demonstrates how ENS simplifies processes, how users respond positively to it, how it can generate revenue possibly, etc. for these wallets. Case studies showcasing these outcomes could be used in a presentation or pitch deck specifically tailored for wallets. After reading it, wallets should have a clear understanding of how ENS can have a positive impact on their platform, whether through enhanced user experience, increased engagement, new monetization opportunities, or something else.

Integrating ENS subname registration into wallets greatly simplifies the user onboarding experience, as well as user transactions and transaction safety. One often underestimated aspect is the value of ENS address records. With support for over 100 blockchain types (see ENSIP-9), imagine registering an ENS name or subname (whether onchain or offchain, free or paid) to create a smart account. This automatically provides a wallet + name that can support over 100 blockchain addresses, meaning that by simply choosing a name for your wallet, you could receive crypto on any of those 100 blockchain networks, all using that single ENS name!

I’m thrilled to see OGs in the space like Coinbase, Uniswap, Rainbow, and others embracing ENS and implementing it. This is going to inspire others to do the same, and soon, we’ll hopefully see a lot more human-readable names replacing the traditional 0x addresses.

Integrating ENS resolution and subname registrations isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a cultural movement that benefits everyone, especially those who have been hesitant to enter crypto due to its complexity. One Web3 username for all addresses? That’s a simple solution to a major barrier.

Essentially, WaaS providers enable businesses to seamlessly onboard users into the crypto world without the usual complexities of wallet management. They usually work with crypto exchanges, startups and app builders, DeFi platforms, gaming projects, e-commerce platforms wanting to accept crypto, fintech firms expanding into the crypto space allowing all their users/clients to buy, hold, and trade digital assets, and more client types.

Integrating ENS into WaaS offerings helps bridge the gap between usability and the complex addresses, making crypto more accessible to mainstream users. By simplifying wallet management and allowing users to interact with human-readable names, the clients of the WaaS providers can significantly improve user onboarding and ease-of-use in their products.

In addition to improving usability, ENS names offer significant interoperability and branding opportunities that businesses can leverage to strengthen their identity in the Web3 space.

By integrating ENS, WaaS clients can differentiate themselves in a competitive market, attract more users, and provide a more professional and comprehensive wallet experience that meets both user expectations and industry demands. Companies like Biconomy, Web3Auth, Privy, Stackup, Pimlico, Etherespot, Magic.link, and ZeroDev are already offering solutions that align with this vision. Each has a unique approach but all stand to benefit from adding the human-readable component of ENS to their services.

This is another area of focus that we as ENS Service Provider plan to focus on, besides regular wallets, because we think this represents a grassroots approach to implementing ENS at the ground zero.

Many protocols are building identity-verification apps and Sybil-resistance services. As the rise of AI agents and AI-generated content accelerates, I believe that social networks will play a critical role in distinguishing AI agents from humans. I expect to see a gradual multi-decade transition from the centralized social apps we’re used to, to more user-aligned decentralized alternatives.

One appealing benefit of a decentralized and permissionless social network is that it solves one aspect of the cold-start problem for identity and your social circle. Using Farcaster as an example, any client (social network) built using the Farcaster protocol can leverage its existing and very rich data structures about its users to kickstart its network.

Farcaster has >1M addresses connected to it. Check the Dune dashboard for more stats. Despite having just 1M users and around 30k daily active users, it has become one of the most successful Web3 protocols. For comparison, Meta has 3.3B users, Instagram has 2B, TikTok has 1.9B, Snapchat has 800M, and X has 300M. The Web3 space is still ridiculously early.

Allowing users to claim their existing Web3 identities, such as their .eth name or subname, is a no-brainer for these new Web3 social networks. Users can bring their profiles, onchain history, social circles, followers, feeds, and more with them. Which is the promise of decentralized social networks.

Even though I’m not much of a gamer, there are no words to describe how bullish I am on the gaming industry. But there are numbers:

• Gaming market size: ~$250B

• Player count: ~3.2B

• Mobile gaming market: ~$100B

• Spent on games per year: ~$200B

• Blockchain games market size: ~5B

• Global tournament prize pools:

  • Dota 2: $40M, Total viewership: 107M people

  • Counter-strike: $2M, Total viewership: 71M people

  • League of Legends: $6.5M, Total viewership: 142M people

  • Fortnight: $15M, Total viewership: 100M people

You see where I’m going with this…

Note* the numbers are quick Google searches cross-checked with ChatGPT asks, therefore, my assumption is they are more or less correct but should be double-checked with trusted sources.

If you look beyond the impressive numbers and bullishness surrounding the gaming industry, you’ll see the true potential games have for onboarding users. This is why every game should integrate ENS as their native username system for all registered players. Every game you sign up for is likely to feature some form of smart wallet designed specifically for that game. Now, imagine if, along with that wallet, you could receive a wallet name that is universally recognized and can communicate and resolve across the entire Web3 space. This would work seamlessly in any dapp or project that supports ENS, as opposed to being stuck with a siloed, centralized identity that only functions within that specific game. When you think about it that way, ENS sounds like the clear winner, right? It’s time to focus on games and gamers, making ENS integration as simple and easy as possible for them!

Although it’s been challenging to get the games to integrate ENS so far, we’ve had some great conversations with a few game developers interested in integrating ENS. Each team we’ve spoken with has had unique custom implementation requests, such as the ability to pay for subnames using native tokens, an easy transition from offchain to onchain subname implementation, and more. Given the size and potential of the gaming industry, Namespace plans to take all the feedback we’ve received and integrate those specific feature requests into our app. By doing this, we’ll create a versatile, game-specific solution that can be used by other game projects as well.

• DCL.eth: Player usernames. Plots of land as subnames.

• OVR.eth: Using subnames as plots of land in their metaverse.

• Creative Idea: Bootstrapping/fundraising through selling subnames for a spot reservation basically whitelisting your wallet (based on the subname) to get early access. Improved in-game economy by having another form of tradable asset in there. Potential revenue generating mechanism - onchain (paid) subname registration for players comes with additional perks and benefits.

It’s hard to believe that CEXs are still seen as the go-to places for onboarding crypto users, yet they have rather messy interfaces (trader-focused) AND don’t have human-readable names. Users are still forced to copy-paste addresses when transacting and crypto people first learn about limit orders and then about wallets, wallet security, onchain asset management, etc… (smh).

If there’s one thing of max value that I can share with you that will inspire you to look deeper into this verticle for helping ENS grow is this notable trend I’ve seen:

Many CEXs are launching their own wallets! This seems like part of a larger plan to eventually move everyone onchain. By using familiar CEX interfaces to onboard users and gradually transitioning them to onchain experiences, launching a wallet appears to be a smart strategy for now. (Coinbase, Kraken, BitGet, even Uniswap which is a DEX).

An interesting parallel here is that when you want to issue human-readable names and identities to wallet users, you can start with minimal friction by offering Offchain subnames. These subnames are gasless (free) to claim, don’t require on-chain transactions, and can be claimed with a new wallet that has no funds. They function just like any other ENS name or subname, meaning they are resolvable in all ENS-supported apps and ecosystems. Once users get comfortable with onchain interactions, accumulate funds, and understand the benefits of being onchain, they can claim their (once offchain) username onchain (on L1, L2s lie Base, Optimism, etc. or Namechain). Just saying.

Ok, the Service Provider Program just announced, and we have 2 product launches + an AI product announcement to do. I’ll keep the rest short(er).

Last year, some of the biggest payment companies in the world showed support for ENS by integrating resolution services into their apps, most notably PayPal and Venmo. What I find most valuable about PayPal and Venmo’s support is the legitimacy it brings to ENS. Their adoption signals trust and mainstream recognition, reinforcing ENS as a critical part of Web3 infrastructure.

What I like about PayPal and Venmo is the legitimacy it gives to the ENS. What I like about the onramping companies is that you could potentially onramp people to crypto, have them deposit funds to their new wallet, and from those funds charge a $1 for a wallet name. This creates an ongoing demand for new Subnames, but it also creates a financial incentive for payment companies to do this because they can make more money.

Beyond legitimacy, there’s a powerful onboarding opportunity with onramping companies. Imagine a flow where users onramp into crypto, deposit funds into a new wallet, and in the same transaction claim a wallet name for free or for a fee. This not only creates a continuous demand for ENS subnames but also introduces a financial incentive for payment companies—turning wallet name issuance into a revenue stream.

One great example I want to highlight is Rise which does payroll services (among other things). They have issued around 150K onchain identities (RiseIDs) as part of its payroll system. I believe each user that is onboarded gets an opportunity to mint an NFT that is associated with their onchain identity within the context of the Rise app.

Safes, multisigs, and DAO-focused payment services are another good use case. These platforms handle onchain treasury management and payments, making them ideal candidates for implementing ENS - further simplifying wallet naming, identity and transaction management.

This category is a no-brainer.

Take Privado, for example. It provides tools and services for onchain self-sovereign identity management using ZK proofs. If Privado integrated ENS, it could enable all of its customers who leverage its solutions for various identity-related use cases to issue ENS subnames to their users. This would position ENS as a foundational identity layer, distributed through other identity service providers like Privado.

Another thing is that Privado, much like other service providers, encourages external contributions to expand their service offerings and is welcoming to other projects building similar things. They have a marketplace where you can browse and use identity-related services alongside their core offering. I expect more and more providers to do the same in the upcoming years.

Recently, ENS Labs welcomed Mely and James as the newest team members leading Partnerships and Growth for ENS. One of the key side quests they should absolutely pursue? Native browser resolution for .eth domains. I think this falls out of the scope of Service Providers because Labs is the only team with enough credibility and connections to see this through.

To get you a little excited: what if .eth domains were natively supported in all browsers? This would mark a major shift, signaling that browsers now embrace fully permissionless, decentralized, and censorship-resistant websites. Imagine the demand this would create for ENS, the only truly decentralized domain name solution.

One product category that will help us pump these numbers is no-code decentralized website builders. These are website builders like any other (Webflow, Wix, Squarespace, etc.) but use ENS domains and decentralized storage as infrastructure for deploying and hosting websites.

The total number of websites worldwide varies depending on the source, but most estimates converge around 1.5B websites and approximately 360M registered domains.

For comparison, there are only 1.7M ENS domains and 950k domain owners, with just 30k decentralized websites currently live (content hash records). While these numbers are impressive within our own ecosystem, they’re still very low compared to traditional DNS domains. (All ENS stats here.)

Brands have a powerful network effect on ENS. Currently, at least 30 major brands own ENS names (see the list here: https://ownerslist.eth.limo/). The next step is getting these brands to actively issue subnames to their communities, integrate ENS into loyalty programs, or explore other ways to utilize ENS with their business models. By embedding ENS into their ecosystems, brands can enhance user engagement, strengthen their Web3 presence, and create new opportunities for customer acquisition and interaction.

Messaging apps and protocols are a natural fit for ENS, as their interests align perfectly. ENS is the de facto username system of Web3, and messaging apps need usernames linked to wallet addresses to enable intuitive peer-to-peer communication between wallets. It’s much better (UX-wise) if that communication is not perceived as ‘wallet to wallet’ but ‘ENS to ENS’.

There are two ways to approach this:

1. Subs for Messaging apps – Messaging apps can integrate ENS subname registrations, allowing all their users to claim a human-readable identity for easy and more intuitive communication.

2. Protocol-Level Integration – Working directly with protocols like XMTP, DM3, and others to offer ENS as a built-in service for their clients. This ensures messaging apps have a streamlined, low-friction way to implement ENS, enhancing user experience across the ecosystem.

Communities, blogs, and influencers are in a unique position to integrate ENS and provide real value to their audiences. All of these can issue brandable wallet names for their fans, followers or members, offering them a simple, recognizable identity that ties them directly to the influencer’s brand. This makes it easier for followers to engage and interact with the influencer onchain, while also providing a more personalized and professional experience in the community setting.

The rise of autonomous AI agents marks a major shift in digital systems, where these agents operate independently, making decisions and engaging in economic activity without human intervention. However, for these agents to truly function as independent entities, a critical infrastructure challenge must be addressed: establishing verifiable, persistent identities that enable meaningful agent-to-agent and agent-to-human interactions. ENS presents an ideal solution for this, offering a decentralized and cryptographically verifiable identity layer that preserves the core principles of Web3 while allowing autonomous agents to participate in complex economic systems.

ENS provides several key features that make it a perfect foundation for an AI agent registry. First, it offers a global, human-readable, and machine-verifiable naming system, which allows agents to be easily discovered by humans and other agents across Web2 and Web3 environments. Furthermore, ENS operates on the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring that identities are cryptographically verifiable without relying on centralized authorities. This verifiability extends beyond identity, enabling agents to advertise their capabilities and interact with one another seamlessly. Through ENS’s hierarchical domain structure, agents can be organized in sophisticated ways, supporting delegation, governance models, and efficient discovery across diverse Web3 space.

Beyond serving as an identity framework, what makes ENS powerful is how it can help create an economy for autonomous agents. Integrating agent metadata allows agents to define their abilities and permissions, ensuring they can operate within clear limits. It also supports agents working across different blockchains, so their identities and actions stay consistent across different working environments. This decentralized approach eliminates the need for centralized trust mechanisms, allowing agents to function as sovereign entities. As the AI agent economy continues to grow, ENS-based agent registries will provide the foundational infrastructure for agent-to-agent interactions and cross-chain collaboration, positioning ENS as a cornerstone in the development of AI identity.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what Namespace has been focusing on for the first part of 2025 and will be one center of attention moving forward as our Service Provider work and application. 🫡

Trust me on this one.

Domain tokenization is poised to become a significant trend in Web3 because it bridges the gap between traditional internet infrastructure (regular domain names) and the decentralized, blockchain-based ecosystem of Web3.

Here’s why it will be big:

• Ownership and Control: Tokenization transforms domains into NFTs, granting users permanent, decentralized ownership instead of leasing them from centralized entities like ICANN or GoDaddy.

• Interoperability with Web3: Tokenized domains, like those from ENS, integrate with dApps, wallets, and identity systems, simplifying Web3 interactions.

• Monetization and Trading: Tokenized domains become tradeable assets, enabling buying, selling, or fractional ownership on NFT marketplaces, and unlocking new economic potential.

• Decentralized Internet Infrastructure: Tokenized domains pair with decentralized solutions like IPFS, supporting a censorship-resistant, fully decentralized web.

• Digital Identity and Branding: Tokenized domains act as portable, verifiable digital identities, linking wallets and profiles for enhanced Web3 branding.

• Speculative Value: Tokenized domains are seen as a Web3 "land grab," with names like .fun or .dev gaining value, echoing the .com boom.

The combination of true ownership, Web3 integration, and economic potential makes domain tokenization a natural evolution for the decentralized internet. It’s not about replacing traditional domains, it’s about extending their capabilities onchain. As blockchain adoption grows, tokenized domains will become as foundational to Web3 as URLs were to Web2.

Just trust me on this one, k?

I’ll never write an ENS article without mentioning the importance of ecosystem building and development - bringing in new developers, thinking about developer acquisition, and fostering talent retention. This is a topic I could talk about for days.

The overall health and longevity of a chain or protocol are directly tied to the activity, dedication, and commitment of its developer community. Nurturing this is crucial. Initiatives like hackathons, events, rewards, grant programs, fellowship programs, and both small and large grants run by ENS working groups all play an essential role.

These are the areas we should focus on if we want ENS to continue thriving. While there’s always room for improvement, I truly believe that compared to other ecosystems, ENS ranks very highly… close to the top actually.

One often most overlooked strength of ENS is its incredible community - advocates, collectors, traders, brokers, community space hosts, educators, and more. These are people who have been passionate about ENS for years, with no compensation, incentives, or expectations in return. I remember one specific day there were a significant number of ENS name registrations. This resulted in ENS DAO generating substantial revenue, all thanks to the dedication, speculation, and belief of the ENS community in the ENS protocol. Whether we like it or not, speculation plays a role in driving demand, and it translates into profit!

Moreover, I’ve witnessed some incredible stories of people onboarding new users to crypto, gifting them ENS names, and donating names to others. The ENS community is made up of individuals who work tirelessly for the ecosystem, and no one officially employs them or provides the right tools to easily distribute names and subnames for profit or give incentives (financial or other) to keep doing what they are doing. This reveals a big misalignment of incentives. Unfortunately, the community of traders, speculators, and those seeking profit is often perceived negatively, and too many overlook its potential. But if we align incentives, this community could be a powerful engine for growth.

The hype, the name registrations, and the overall traction that ENS has gained can largely be attributed to this very community - through trading, hyping, and flipping .eth names. The true potential lies in leveraging the ENS community to drive real growth. Imagine allowing them to mint subnames for their friends, family, local businesses, followers, and communities. Believe it or not, this is already happening! I once heard a person tell a story about how they onboarded their local shop owner to crypto and had them register .eth name and set it as a primary name. True story.

If we enable all ENS name owners to become Web3 identity service providers and mint subnames for others, we could onboard millions of users. But to unlock this, we need platforms that make this possible, we need proper incentives that drive desired behaviours, and we need a lot of discussions to get there.

Meme tokens and meme communities are some of the most powerful forces in the crypto space, and they have an unmatched ability to onboard people into crypto. Ultimately, our goal should be to ensure every crypto user has access to an ENS name or subname. The specific strategies we use to get there may vary depending on the stage of the market cycle, but the end result remains the same.

Some of the degen-friendly approaches we’re currently exploring (and have confirmed they work) involve building tools and apps that cater to the needs of emerging and trendy protocols, like Farcaster and Frames. These platforms are a great fit for spreading ENS adoption quickly and effectively, especially within fast-moving communities.

We also worked with a few meme token communities during the Onchain Summer campaign led by Base. In each instance, we worked with amazingly talented folks who are the most passionate community builders I’ve ever seen. That said, I’ll always welcome working with anyone who has been an honest meme coiner, with a proven reputation for their brand, their values, and community strength.

If I was a smart man I would break this article into 5-10 smaller articles and publish them every few weeks making it look like I’m constantly writing about something. But I’m not a smart man as you can see.

Truth be told, I wish I had more time and energy to write about all of this. There’s so much more to share - so much I’ve learned about the protocol, the DAO, the inner workings of governance, the ENS ecosystem, and the countless products, ideas, and initiatives that ENS improves.

But, there’s plenty of time ahead of us and lots to do.

So let’s get to work.

This article breaks down the key areas driving ENS’s growth. Stuff like increasing partnerships, integrations, accessibility, dev tooling, name and subname registrations, protocol revenue, strengthening its market position, brand reputation and awareness, and increasing education about improving UX, security, and onboarding, through human-readable names.

I’ll also look at the factors behind ENS’s success so far. By analyzing development choices, growth strategies, successful partnerships, ecosystem initiatives, and emerging narratives, we can see how each factor has contributed to the growth of ENS and will continue to shape its future.

I’ll also highlight which integrations and verticals hold the most potential for further adoption, how they align with ENS’s growth objectives, which strategic partnerships could propel ENS forward the most and solidify its #1 spot in the market, and how Namespace contributes.

This includes all industries we engaged with in 2024, finding product market fit for ENS in different verticles, figuring out key value propositions for each, and how to best communicate it. It’s worth understanding how ENS is being adopted across different sectors, where its use can be expanded, simplified, and replicated to drive even more adoption.

This article can be called many names and can serve multiple purposes. It could be a Guide for new Service Providers, Roadmap for ENS growth, Focus areas for go-to-market strategy, What worked best for ENS, All-encompassing ENS knowledge base, or Lessons from the Service Provider in the trenches.

That said, you should look at this article as a stream of thoughts based on real-world experience of 2 years working with ENS.

I’m going for raw value here.

1. Offchain subnames

2. L2 Subnames

   1. Rollups, RaaS, App chains

3. Integrations

   1. Dev tooling support

   2. Public web3 libraries

   3. Blockchain tools and service companies

   4. Projects, Dapps, Companies

   5. Institutions

4. Partnerships

   1. Wallets

   2. Wallet-as-a-Service providers (AA service: smart accounts)

   3. Social networks

   4. Games

   5. CEXes (mention trends here that they are launching their own wallets)

   6. Crypto payments

   7. Identity-related products

   8. Web3 browsers

   9. Brands

   10. Other consumer apps

5. AI: autonomous identity

6. Domain Tokenization

7. ENS Labs

8. ENS developers (ecosystem, talent (acquisition and retention))

9. ENS Community (trust, loyalty, retention)

10. Degen-friendly strategies

For those who don’t know - Offchain subnames refer to a concept related to allowing gas-free offchain-stored Subnames AKA ENS-based identity for wallets and addresses. Considering their massive success I think they deserve to take the number one spot in terms of being mentioned as one of the best growth strategies for ENS.

It’s estimated there are currently between 15-20M offchain subnames. The biggest issuers are cb.id (issued through Coinbase wallet), then uni.eth (issued through Uniswap wallet), and many other wallets either considering or already building using Offchain subname infrastructure (usually our Namespace or Namestone subnames).

Advantages of ENS Offchain Subnames and the reasons for their success:

• Gasless & Cost-Efficient: No expensive transactions are required for subname issuance or updates.

• Easy to implement: you can run your own subname infra or use existing third-party solutions for faster implementation (E.g. Namespace Dev)

• Scalable: Can support millions of subnames without overwhelming the Ethereum network.

• Permissioned Issuance: Allow fine-grained control over who can create and manage subnames.

• Flexible Storage Options: Subname data can be stored on IPFS, Arweave, databases, or even a DAO-governed registry.

• Better for Web2-style UX: Makes ENS more accessible for onboarding users without crypto knowledge.

• Smoother wallet onboarding: first-time wallet users are not required to have money to pay for gas to claim subnames.

We’ve been deeply involved in building tooling and infrastructure to simplify ENS subname issuance, including:

• Namespace SDK – Allows developers to easily integrate ENS subnames into apps, wallets, and services.

• Namespace Dev – Allows developers to create and manage Offchain Subnames, generate API key, use Namespace hybrid resolver, and implement Subname registration in your app in minutes.

• Custom Subname Services – Assisting projects with setting up ENS-based identity and naming systems.

Namespace’s goal is to make ENS subnames the default identity standard across crypto apps and AI agents, but more on that later.

Once we build the necessary standards and technology to seamlessly support all cross-chain actions, and everything runs smoothly across all Web3 chains and services, and especially since we’re anticipating the launch of Namechain, migrating Offchain subnames will be the easiest to do to Namechain, hopefully, their final residential address.

Building in Web3 is tough. Constant changes, upgrades, breaking points, outdated libraries, and often-times poor support make the tech stack far less mature than Web2. And rightfully so, compared to Web3, the Web2 world has existed for decades and is a lot more robust.

Offchain subnames offer a gradual transition from Web2 to a fully onchain, decentralized, and permissionless Web3. They serve as the first (pain-free) step toward moving operations onchain.

Once we build the necessary standards and technology for seamless cross-chain interactions, and everything runs smoothly across all Web3 chains and services, and as Web3 infrastructure matures, especially with the launch of Namechain, migrating Offchain subnames to Namechain will be the easiest and sweetest step.

And plus, companies love offchain subnames due to 1) ease of implementation, 2) flexibility in ownership structures, and 3) no gas costs for their users.

L2 chains are pioneering a human-readable revolution by natively integrating and offering ENS as a service, allowing their users to get onchain identity and their ecosystem projects to leverage its utility by using it in their apps.

Linea started minting subnames from linea.eth and minted a whopping 350k subnames in a month for free for their entire community.

Base did the same thing from base.eth and minted over 400k subnames in about 10 days and recently reported a profit of 300 ETH from registrations and renewals and are at 750k base.eth subnames - mindblowing!

We’re also seeing more efforts and interest from other chains such as ZKsync, led by the team behind Clave Wallet that started issuing ZKsync subnames from clv.eth to their users.

There’s an emerging interest and close collaboration with other L2 chains such as Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, and as seen in the works of the official ENS Service Providers such as Namespace, Namestone, and Blockful, and other ecosystem builders that are dipping their toes in the Subname business, or as Variant would call it - namespace-as-a-service.

Considering the massive success of Base and Linea naming service launches, hopefully, this inspires all of their ecosystem projects that build on those L2 chains, to do the same, integrate ENS into their dapps, and start offering subname registrations to their community and users. I cannot stress hard enough how important it is that Linea and Base did this and laid a blueprint that others can follow! With ENS moving to its own L2, and with the help of Service Providers, I see a lot more L2s adopting this.

L2 chains function like self-contained economies, each with its own ecosystem, currency, and economic focus. They create independent environments (dapps, protocols, networks) where value is generated, exchanged, and accumulated, much like in traditional economies. Smart contracts + transactions are the unit of economic measure in these L2s and foster economic activity through various services and apps.

Therefore, L2 chains are striving to increase onchain activity by bringing more builders on their chains. Bringing the entire protocol such as ENS, which perfectly does a one job for these economies–naming–and is interoperable, modular, multichain, and extendible by design, therefore it can be used for almost any use case, and primarily for solving a cold-start problem for onchain identity, gives more reason to have it natively embedded on these L2s.

Furthermore, enabling all users onchain to have an identity where all of their addresses, socials, and profile information converge in a single standardized and widely accepted ENS profile, making their onchain interaction more user-friendly, intuitive, and human-like, is a strong argument for integrating ENS.

The transition from fully trustful offchain subnames (e.g., thecap.cb.id) to trust-minimized L2 subnames (e.g., thecap.base.eth) is the first step towards self-sovereign identity. Solutions such as having ENS names on the L1 chain and subnames minted and secured on the L2 chains are a step in the right direction. However, to have a fully decentralized, permissionless, trustless, and unruggable subnames, it would involve burning certain fuses which adds a layer of complexity.

Making L2 subnames completely unruggable enforces some permanent modifications to the ENS name (until it expires and resets all fuses). Therefore, we highly suggest to owners not to make L2 subnames fully unruggable unless it’s absolutely 100% necessary. Even then, I would urge anyone doing it to test it on Sepolia first.

I can’t help but wonder, what would happen if all L2 chains whose tech stack is used to launch an ‘ecosystem’ chain, what would happen if all of them had namespace-as-a-service and were able to implement chain-wide naming service for all their users and ecosystem builders, similar to what Base did with Basenames. What if Optimism did it for its Superchains ecosystem (Zora, Mode, Worldchain…), what if Arbitrum did it for its Orbit ecosystem (One, Stylus, Nitro), what if ZKsync did it for its Elastic chains (Treasure, Zero, Lens, etc.)…

All natively supporting ENS!

This brings us to the next gigantic opportunity for ENS growth.

There was a time when I could keep up with everything in crypto - every new chain and its design, every new protocol and its features, every new DEX and its AMM innovation, etc. But our space moves at lightning speed, and it’s impossible to track it all. I may not know exactly how rollups will be used en masse, but one thing is clear: they’re gaining massive traction! That’s why ENS needs to be there from day one - natively integrated with every new rollup, providing easy-to-setup naming services from the ground up.

Let me get you bullish - what if every new rollup, the moment it launched, automatically supported ENS name resolution and subname registrations across all its apps? Or at the very least, made ENS integration so simple that enabling it was as easy as flipping a switch? App chains are coming, and we need to ensure ENS is positioned adequately for that shift.

I also expect we’ll see many rollups built using the Namechain tech stack, and we should make it effortless for them to integrate subname registration. But now we’re getting into speculation territory and that’s a discussion for another time.

They say that if something happens once, it might be a coincidence, but if it happens twice, the third time is inevitable. With ENS already integrated into Base and Linea (and great support for Base, Optimism, and ZKsync), it’s only a matter of time before other chains follow suit. And there’s plenty we can do to make that adoption smoother, faster, and more seamless for them.

This can be a job for one service provider, for example, to exclusively focus on bizdev and integrations in L2 chains + protocols. We could also have a case study of how Base and Linea did it, an implementation process overview, tools used, and custom solutions built around naming such as reputation, identity, etc. distribution mechanisms for subnames, monetization strategies, and so on. All of this should contribute to making it easier for others to do it.

One approach could be dedicating a service provider solely to business development and integrations with L2 chains, rollups, dev tooling providers, and protocols. Another would be creating a detailed case study on how Base and Linea implemented ENS, covering the integration process, tools used, and any custom solutions built around naming, such as reputation systems, identity frameworks, subname distribution mechanisms, and monetization strategies.

By providing these resources, we can lower the barrier for other chains to adopt ENS and accelerate its expansion across the ecosystem.

We recently met with a very prominent RaaS provider that manages over 2,000 active rollups, most of which are thriving in their own right. And by “thriving,” I mean they’re building apps and tools tailored to specific industries, solving real problems in niche markets, and attracting millions of users.

The idea of offering Namespace-as-a-Service to every one of them, giving each rollup its own dedicated namespace to issue ENS-based identities to its users, is seriously exciting. The potential for insane: rollup-wide identity systems built on ENS is massive.

We aim to establish ourselves as the leading Subname Service Provider, or Namespace-as-a-Service provider, for RaaS platforms. Every RaaS provider already offers complementary services alongside their core offerings—such as RPCs, SDKs, hosting, indexing, DA support, etc. Our goal is to become their official naming service partner, providing a Rollup Naming Service that seamlessly integrates with their ecosystems. We’re incredibly excited about this opportunity, as we see it as one of the most high-impact, high-potential plays in the space.

Integrations refer to companies or products that incorporate ENS as part of their technology stack or offering. Integrations are primarily about technology adoption and building ENS into the product or service itself as a feature or utility that improves its overall user experience.

Integrations can serve to increase ENS accessibility - i.e. adding ENS to developer libraries like web3js, Viem, Ethers.js, WAGMI, etc. Other blockchain tools and services companies would benefit from offering their clients (developers/teams) a seamless ENS integration with its basic (resolution) and extended (subname issuance) utility.

The value proposition and the entire business model of these companies and public goods depend on the quality of the dev services they offer, and having ENS support natively embedded in their offering certainly adds to their appeal. Their business model revolves around getting more developers to use their services. As more developers come there, by having ENS supported, we’ll be directly onboarding more people on ENS. More integrations allow other developers to more easily discover and add ENS support in their apps.

The key to ENS success so far is ~1000 integrations making it one of the most popular protocols and making it the naming standard of Web3. The power of all these integrations enables ENS to claim the title of “Web3 universal username” for its .eth names and subnames, which are resolvable in all apps.

As ENS adoption grows across various projects and applications, distinct patterns emerge in what developers and users specifically need. By identifying these needs, we can build tailored features and tools that make ENS integration seamless.

For example, we see the emergence of Subnames on L2s and the spark in their interest in L2s and other L2-based projects. Therefore, we can build tools for developers and non-tech users that would allow them to easily start issuing subnames on those L2s, thus streamlining the adoption of ENS with one use-case-specific application (subname issuance).

For instance, with the rise of subnames on L2s and the increasing interest from L2-based projects, there’s a clear opportunity to develop tools that simplify subname issuance there. By creating solutions for both developers and non-technical users, we can accelerate ENS adoption with a dedicated, use-case-specific application - subname issuance on L2s. This mental model allowed me personally to discover and recognize the opportunity with rollup-as-a-service providers and I think the argument to pursue this opportunity has a lot of merit.

This is the primary thesis for building our platform and the Namespace SDK – easy L2 subname registrations and management for your apps. And I assume this is the primary thesis for building Durin that does the same thing. Another team that did a great job here is Unruggable team with Unrrugable Gateways.

It’s of utmost importance that ENS is readily available in some of the most popular and most used Web3 libraries such as Web3js, Viem, Ethers.js, etc. The reason this is very important is that these libraries depend on new their users (developers) being happy. And how do they make them happy? By providing the most comprehensive suite of tools they need to build their apps in the blockchain space. The business model of these companies relies on attracting and nurturing their developer community. As more developers join, ENS will directly be exposed to more developers. And as ENS awareness gradually rises through marketing, BizDev, educational, promotional, and other efforts, it will be increasingly requested in these dev environments with all its features and capabilities.

Insight and a tip: Blockchain tools and service (usually private) companies that offer best-in-class tools for developers to build their dapps, have started launching external ‘marketplaces’ for others to promote their products by enabling them to work with their marketplace. This way, new and existing projects and protocols gain immediate exposure to thousands or hundreds of thousands of developers in some cases, and these blockchain tools and service companies are increasing their service offering by essentially outsourcing it and opening it to the public so that anyone can build and deploy them there on their marketplace that their developers can use.

To be clear: anyone who needs blockchain naming can (and should) integrate ENS. And if someone thinks they don’t need a blockchain naming system, they simply haven’t learned about ENS yet. Because once they do, they’ll realize they do need it.

ENS’s success is no secret, mainly attributed to its extensive integrations across Web3. Over 1,000+ projects and companies support ENS resolution, allowing users to see their ENS name, avatar, and records displayed across countless apps and websites. This widespread adoption is what gives ENS its power.

Given how important integrations have been to ENS’s success, we must double down on expanding them. Every project, dapp, protocol, and chain - anywhere ENS can enhance user experience, even slightly - should have an easy path to integration. I strongly support establishing a dedicated DevRel + BizDev team focused solely on driving new ENS integrations, helping companies of all sizes onboard ENS, and even building custom solutions when mutually beneficial.

I believe a future is coming where wallet addresses are replaced entirely by .eth names and subnames. Naming services will be a default feature for every app, and ENS will resolve automatically, everywhere. When that happens, we’ll no longer need to actively pursue integrations and partnerships, and I’ll be happy to see it.

One very interesting and important thing about institutional adoption, whether it’s governments, banks, or large enterprises, is that once a system is adopted at this level, it tends to stay in place for decades. These institutions are slow to change, making adoption a challenge, but once ENS is integrated, it becomes a long-term fixture. This is more of a strategic move than anything else.

There should be an effort from the ENS Labs BD team but also Namespace and other service providers, to try and get integrated with any of these institutional types of clients. Once we have one, let’s say a bank for example, we can use them to create a case study, or a blueprint of how others can do it, what are the benefits ENS brought to them, increase in customer satisfaction, user acquisition and retention, and whatever other KPIs they track to measure their success and how ENS had a (hopefully) positive impact on it.

There should be an active effort by ENS Labs BD team, Namespace’s BD team, and other service providers to actively pursue integrations with institutional-level clients. The key is securing one major integration, for example, a bank, and then leveraging it as a case study. This blueprint could outline:

• How the institution integrated ENS (implementation details)

• Benefits ENS brought (e.g., improved customer satisfaction, strengthened security, increased user acquisition and retention, simplified day-to-day use of crypto-related services, etc.)

• Key performance metrics (KPIs) proving ENS’s impact and measurable results

What could they use ENS for? - Identity, verification, naming.

Another major entry point for institutional adoption is through rollups and sidechains. I strongly believe institutions will either launch their own chains or launch on existing ecosystems using established tech stacks like Optimism, Arbitrum, zkSync, Linea, or other RaaS solutions.

A great example is ZKsync which recently announced Deutsche Bank, Tradeable, and WonderFi launching their own Elastic Chains using its tech stack. Another noteworthy mention goes to QuarkID for using the ZKsync chain to issue 3.6M digital identities to people in Buenos Aires! (*hint, they all need names ;))

Partnerships involve organizations or entities that collaborate with ENS in a more strategic or promotional way. This can include businesses that actively promote, co-brand, or distribute ENS (tokens, or names and subnames) as part of a larger value proposition. Partnerships are more about strategic alignment and mutual benefit, often involving marketing, cross-promotion, or co-development opportunities to help grow both ENS and the partner’s ecosystem. These efforts are closely tied to integrations, as successful partnerships often cannot exist without solid integrations in place.

If we want to transform the entire crypto user experience - from changing how wallets are displayed to giving every user universally resolvable names, we need a collective effort from the entire Web3 community. But more than that, ENS Labs and service providers must put partnerships high on the priority list to secure this transformation.

Something that has been working and I expect it to continue working is the following.

• Wallets

• Wallet-as-a-Service providers (AA service: smart accounts)

• Social networks

• Games

• CEXes (mention trends here that they are launching their own wallets)

• Payments

• Identity-related products

• Web3 browsers

• Brands

• Messaging apps and protocols

• Communities, Blogs, Influencers

• Other consumer apps

Wallets are essential to the crypto industry because they serve as the primary interface between users and blockchains. They provide secure access to your assets and the web3 app you interact with. Wallets enable blockchain interaction and are the gateway to… financial freedom 👀 They provide you with full ownership and control over your assets and are cryptographically secured. They allow access to the entire crypto ecosystem - invest, trade, and participate in a $2.4 trillion market (at the time of writing).

Furthermore, wallets are onboarding vehicles for the masses. Every wallet has a clear call to action: “Come to crypto, use our wallet.” For games, it’s about playing and spending money. For DeFi projects, it’s lending, borrowing, and investing. For social apps, it’s connecting and sharing. Wallets, however, must first sell you on the vision of crypto as a whole. Hence, the onboarding vehicles for the masses.

However, with account abstraction and smart wallets - games, DeFi projects, dApps, and platforms are also becoming wallet providers. As wallet issuance becomes decentralized, we need to ensure that ENS is integrated everywhere, across all these touchpoints.

• Coinbase Wallet (cb.id): has issued around 11 million subnames so far. These offchain subnames are gasless to claim, stored offchain (typically in centralized databases), and use CCIP-read for resolution. While the technical implementation and characteristics are well-known, the real potential of offchain subnames lies in their broader impact.

  Imagine 11 million Coinbase Wallet users, each with a username in the form of an ENS subname (thecap.cb.id). This subname works seamlessly within the Coinbase Wallet app, but it also resolves in any other wallet, dApp, protocol, chain, or client that supports ENS.

  What excites me most is how offchain subnames serve as a frictionless entry point into the ENS ecosystem. They allow users to quickly adopt a Web3 identity with minimal effort and understanding required. I believe companies with large user bases will leverage offchain subnames to introduce their users to Web3.

  Once users have an offchain subname, they could easily claim the same subname onchain - whether on L1s, L2s, or even some app chains. The process would be as simple as flipping a switch to claim their subname onchain. I think Coinbase (cb.id) will likely implement a similar feature, taking into account lessons learned from Base.eth subnames.

• Uniswap Wallet (uni.eth): Uniswap recently launched its Wallet and integrated ENS, issuing subnames under the uni.eth name. As of now, they’ve issued around 1 million subnames. This approach provides a unified, cohesive digital identity for all users, making it easier to manage their interactions across the platform.

  Whether for airdrops, promotions, or simply showcasing a user’s identity, these subnames simplify operations and enhance the user experience. By consolidating identities under a single ENS namespace, Uniswap is streamlining its digital ecosystem and strengthening its connection with users.

  Rainbow Wallet (ENS registrations): might be one of the first, if not the first, wallets to fully integrate ENS. They’ve taken it a step further by allowing users to register ENS names directly within the app. This is a prime example of attention to detail and quality in product design.

  While ENS may not be strictly necessary, meaning your wallet can function without it, offering it shows a certain class, OG status, and commitment to high standards. It shows a dedication to building products that are not only functional but also meticulously crafted with a major focus on user experience.

  Currently, this level of implementation is typically seen in large teams with broad project scopes, inclusive goals, and the resources to afford sophisticated product developments. However, thanks to the growing tools and services being developed within the ENS ecosystem, this level of integration will soon be accessible to everyone, with ease.

• Unicorn Wallet (taking it to the next level): is revolutionizing wallet infrastructure and go-to-market strategy by utilizing smart accounts and ENS subnames to enable anyone to easily launch a wallet for their community. Recently, they partnered with ETH Denver and successfully onboarded 20,000 users to crypto. As a naming service, Unicorn Wallet leverages ENS through the Offchain subname service provided by Namespace, further enhancing the user experience by offering simple, seamless wallet solutions tied to ENS identities.

It would be really valuable to see measurable data that demonstrates how ENS simplifies processes, how users respond positively to it, how it can generate revenue possibly, etc. for these wallets. Case studies showcasing these outcomes could be used in a presentation or pitch deck specifically tailored for wallets. After reading it, wallets should have a clear understanding of how ENS can have a positive impact on their platform, whether through enhanced user experience, increased engagement, new monetization opportunities, or something else.

Integrating ENS subname registration into wallets greatly simplifies the user onboarding experience, as well as user transactions and transaction safety. One often underestimated aspect is the value of ENS address records. With support for over 100 blockchain types (see ENSIP-9), imagine registering an ENS name or subname (whether onchain or offchain, free or paid) to create a smart account. This automatically provides a wallet + name that can support over 100 blockchain addresses, meaning that by simply choosing a name for your wallet, you could receive crypto on any of those 100 blockchain networks, all using that single ENS name!

I’m thrilled to see OGs in the space like Coinbase, Uniswap, Rainbow, and others embracing ENS and implementing it. This is going to inspire others to do the same, and soon, we’ll hopefully see a lot more human-readable names replacing the traditional 0x addresses.

Integrating ENS resolution and subname registrations isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a cultural movement that benefits everyone, especially those who have been hesitant to enter crypto due to its complexity. One Web3 username for all addresses? That’s a simple solution to a major barrier.

Essentially, WaaS providers enable businesses to seamlessly onboard users into the crypto world without the usual complexities of wallet management. They usually work with crypto exchanges, startups and app builders, DeFi platforms, gaming projects, e-commerce platforms wanting to accept crypto, fintech firms expanding into the crypto space allowing all their users/clients to buy, hold, and trade digital assets, and more client types.

Integrating ENS into WaaS offerings helps bridge the gap between usability and the complex addresses, making crypto more accessible to mainstream users. By simplifying wallet management and allowing users to interact with human-readable names, the clients of the WaaS providers can significantly improve user onboarding and ease-of-use in their products.

In addition to improving usability, ENS names offer significant interoperability and branding opportunities that businesses can leverage to strengthen their identity in the Web3 space.

By integrating ENS, WaaS clients can differentiate themselves in a competitive market, attract more users, and provide a more professional and comprehensive wallet experience that meets both user expectations and industry demands. Companies like Biconomy, Web3Auth, Privy, Stackup, Pimlico, Etherespot, Magic.link, and ZeroDev are already offering solutions that align with this vision. Each has a unique approach but all stand to benefit from adding the human-readable component of ENS to their services.

This is another area of focus that we as ENS Service Provider plan to focus on, besides regular wallets, because we think this represents a grassroots approach to implementing ENS at the ground zero.

Many protocols are building identity-verification apps and Sybil-resistance services. As the rise of AI agents and AI-generated content accelerates, I believe that social networks will play a critical role in distinguishing AI agents from humans. I expect to see a gradual multi-decade transition from the centralized social apps we’re used to, to more user-aligned decentralized alternatives.

One appealing benefit of a decentralized and permissionless social network is that it solves one aspect of the cold-start problem for identity and your social circle. Using Farcaster as an example, any client (social network) built using the Farcaster protocol can leverage its existing and very rich data structures about its users to kickstart its network.

Farcaster has >1M addresses connected to it. Check the Dune dashboard for more stats. Despite having just 1M users and around 30k daily active users, it has become one of the most successful Web3 protocols. For comparison, Meta has 3.3B users, Instagram has 2B, TikTok has 1.9B, Snapchat has 800M, and X has 300M. The Web3 space is still ridiculously early.

Allowing users to claim their existing Web3 identities, such as their .eth name or subname, is a no-brainer for these new Web3 social networks. Users can bring their profiles, onchain history, social circles, followers, feeds, and more with them. Which is the promise of decentralized social networks.

Even though I’m not much of a gamer, there are no words to describe how bullish I am on the gaming industry. But there are numbers:

• Gaming market size: ~$250B

• Player count: ~3.2B

• Mobile gaming market: ~$100B

• Spent on games per year: ~$200B

• Blockchain games market size: ~5B

• Global tournament prize pools:

  • Dota 2: $40M, Total viewership: 107M people

  • Counter-strike: $2M, Total viewership: 71M people

  • League of Legends: $6.5M, Total viewership: 142M people

  • Fortnight: $15M, Total viewership: 100M people

You see where I’m going with this…

Note* the numbers are quick Google searches cross-checked with ChatGPT asks, therefore, my assumption is they are more or less correct but should be double-checked with trusted sources.

If you look beyond the impressive numbers and bullishness surrounding the gaming industry, you’ll see the true potential games have for onboarding users. This is why every game should integrate ENS as their native username system for all registered players. Every game you sign up for is likely to feature some form of smart wallet designed specifically for that game. Now, imagine if, along with that wallet, you could receive a wallet name that is universally recognized and can communicate and resolve across the entire Web3 space. This would work seamlessly in any dapp or project that supports ENS, as opposed to being stuck with a siloed, centralized identity that only functions within that specific game. When you think about it that way, ENS sounds like the clear winner, right? It’s time to focus on games and gamers, making ENS integration as simple and easy as possible for them!

Although it’s been challenging to get the games to integrate ENS so far, we’ve had some great conversations with a few game developers interested in integrating ENS. Each team we’ve spoken with has had unique custom implementation requests, such as the ability to pay for subnames using native tokens, an easy transition from offchain to onchain subname implementation, and more. Given the size and potential of the gaming industry, Namespace plans to take all the feedback we’ve received and integrate those specific feature requests into our app. By doing this, we’ll create a versatile, game-specific solution that can be used by other game projects as well.

• DCL.eth: Player usernames. Plots of land as subnames.

• OVR.eth: Using subnames as plots of land in their metaverse.

• Creative Idea: Bootstrapping/fundraising through selling subnames for a spot reservation basically whitelisting your wallet (based on the subname) to get early access. Improved in-game economy by having another form of tradable asset in there. Potential revenue generating mechanism - onchain (paid) subname registration for players comes with additional perks and benefits.

It’s hard to believe that CEXs are still seen as the go-to places for onboarding crypto users, yet they have rather messy interfaces (trader-focused) AND don’t have human-readable names. Users are still forced to copy-paste addresses when transacting and crypto people first learn about limit orders and then about wallets, wallet security, onchain asset management, etc… (smh).

If there’s one thing of max value that I can share with you that will inspire you to look deeper into this verticle for helping ENS grow is this notable trend I’ve seen:

Many CEXs are launching their own wallets! This seems like part of a larger plan to eventually move everyone onchain. By using familiar CEX interfaces to onboard users and gradually transitioning them to onchain experiences, launching a wallet appears to be a smart strategy for now. (Coinbase, Kraken, BitGet, even Uniswap which is a DEX).

An interesting parallel here is that when you want to issue human-readable names and identities to wallet users, you can start with minimal friction by offering Offchain subnames. These subnames are gasless (free) to claim, don’t require on-chain transactions, and can be claimed with a new wallet that has no funds. They function just like any other ENS name or subname, meaning they are resolvable in all ENS-supported apps and ecosystems. Once users get comfortable with onchain interactions, accumulate funds, and understand the benefits of being onchain, they can claim their (once offchain) username onchain (on L1, L2s lie Base, Optimism, etc. or Namechain). Just saying.

Ok, the Service Provider Program just announced, and we have 2 product launches + an AI product announcement to do. I’ll keep the rest short(er).

Last year, some of the biggest payment companies in the world showed support for ENS by integrating resolution services into their apps, most notably PayPal and Venmo. What I find most valuable about PayPal and Venmo’s support is the legitimacy it brings to ENS. Their adoption signals trust and mainstream recognition, reinforcing ENS as a critical part of Web3 infrastructure.

What I like about PayPal and Venmo is the legitimacy it gives to the ENS. What I like about the onramping companies is that you could potentially onramp people to crypto, have them deposit funds to their new wallet, and from those funds charge a $1 for a wallet name. This creates an ongoing demand for new Subnames, but it also creates a financial incentive for payment companies to do this because they can make more money.

Beyond legitimacy, there’s a powerful onboarding opportunity with onramping companies. Imagine a flow where users onramp into crypto, deposit funds into a new wallet, and in the same transaction claim a wallet name for free or for a fee. This not only creates a continuous demand for ENS subnames but also introduces a financial incentive for payment companies—turning wallet name issuance into a revenue stream.

One great example I want to highlight is Rise which does payroll services (among other things). They have issued around 150K onchain identities (RiseIDs) as part of its payroll system. I believe each user that is onboarded gets an opportunity to mint an NFT that is associated with their onchain identity within the context of the Rise app.

Safes, multisigs, and DAO-focused payment services are another good use case. These platforms handle onchain treasury management and payments, making them ideal candidates for implementing ENS - further simplifying wallet naming, identity and transaction management.

This category is a no-brainer.

Take Privado, for example. It provides tools and services for onchain self-sovereign identity management using ZK proofs. If Privado integrated ENS, it could enable all of its customers who leverage its solutions for various identity-related use cases to issue ENS subnames to their users. This would position ENS as a foundational identity layer, distributed through other identity service providers like Privado.

Another thing is that Privado, much like other service providers, encourages external contributions to expand their service offerings and is welcoming to other projects building similar things. They have a marketplace where you can browse and use identity-related services alongside their core offering. I expect more and more providers to do the same in the upcoming years.

Recently, ENS Labs welcomed Mely and James as the newest team members leading Partnerships and Growth for ENS. One of the key side quests they should absolutely pursue? Native browser resolution for .eth domains. I think this falls out of the scope of Service Providers because Labs is the only team with enough credibility and connections to see this through.

To get you a little excited: what if .eth domains were natively supported in all browsers? This would mark a major shift, signaling that browsers now embrace fully permissionless, decentralized, and censorship-resistant websites. Imagine the demand this would create for ENS, the only truly decentralized domain name solution.

One product category that will help us pump these numbers is no-code decentralized website builders. These are website builders like any other (Webflow, Wix, Squarespace, etc.) but use ENS domains and decentralized storage as infrastructure for deploying and hosting websites.

The total number of websites worldwide varies depending on the source, but most estimates converge around 1.5B websites and approximately 360M registered domains.

For comparison, there are only 1.7M ENS domains and 950k domain owners, with just 30k decentralized websites currently live (content hash records). While these numbers are impressive within our own ecosystem, they’re still very low compared to traditional DNS domains. (All ENS stats here.)

Brands have a powerful network effect on ENS. Currently, at least 30 major brands own ENS names (see the list here: https://ownerslist.eth.limo/). The next step is getting these brands to actively issue subnames to their communities, integrate ENS into loyalty programs, or explore other ways to utilize ENS with their business models. By embedding ENS into their ecosystems, brands can enhance user engagement, strengthen their Web3 presence, and create new opportunities for customer acquisition and interaction.

Messaging apps and protocols are a natural fit for ENS, as their interests align perfectly. ENS is the de facto username system of Web3, and messaging apps need usernames linked to wallet addresses to enable intuitive peer-to-peer communication between wallets. It’s much better (UX-wise) if that communication is not perceived as ‘wallet to wallet’ but ‘ENS to ENS’.

There are two ways to approach this:

1. Subs for Messaging apps – Messaging apps can integrate ENS subname registrations, allowing all their users to claim a human-readable identity for easy and more intuitive communication.

2. Protocol-Level Integration – Working directly with protocols like XMTP, DM3, and others to offer ENS as a built-in service for their clients. This ensures messaging apps have a streamlined, low-friction way to implement ENS, enhancing user experience across the ecosystem.

Communities, blogs, and influencers are in a unique position to integrate ENS and provide real value to their audiences. All of these can issue brandable wallet names for their fans, followers or members, offering them a simple, recognizable identity that ties them directly to the influencer’s brand. This makes it easier for followers to engage and interact with the influencer onchain, while also providing a more personalized and professional experience in the community setting.

The rise of autonomous AI agents marks a major shift in digital systems, where these agents operate independently, making decisions and engaging in economic activity without human intervention. However, for these agents to truly function as independent entities, a critical infrastructure challenge must be addressed: establishing verifiable, persistent identities that enable meaningful agent-to-agent and agent-to-human interactions. ENS presents an ideal solution for this, offering a decentralized and cryptographically verifiable identity layer that preserves the core principles of Web3 while allowing autonomous agents to participate in complex economic systems.

ENS provides several key features that make it a perfect foundation for an AI agent registry. First, it offers a global, human-readable, and machine-verifiable naming system, which allows agents to be easily discovered by humans and other agents across Web2 and Web3 environments. Furthermore, ENS operates on the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring that identities are cryptographically verifiable without relying on centralized authorities. This verifiability extends beyond identity, enabling agents to advertise their capabilities and interact with one another seamlessly. Through ENS’s hierarchical domain structure, agents can be organized in sophisticated ways, supporting delegation, governance models, and efficient discovery across diverse Web3 space.

Beyond serving as an identity framework, what makes ENS powerful is how it can help create an economy for autonomous agents. Integrating agent metadata allows agents to define their abilities and permissions, ensuring they can operate within clear limits. It also supports agents working across different blockchains, so their identities and actions stay consistent across different working environments. This decentralized approach eliminates the need for centralized trust mechanisms, allowing agents to function as sovereign entities. As the AI agent economy continues to grow, ENS-based agent registries will provide the foundational infrastructure for agent-to-agent interactions and cross-chain collaboration, positioning ENS as a cornerstone in the development of AI identity.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what Namespace has been focusing on for the first part of 2025 and will be one center of attention moving forward as our Service Provider work and application. 🫡

Trust me on this one.

Domain tokenization is poised to become a significant trend in Web3 because it bridges the gap between traditional internet infrastructure (regular domain names) and the decentralized, blockchain-based ecosystem of Web3.

Here’s why it will be big:

• Ownership and Control: Tokenization transforms domains into NFTs, granting users permanent, decentralized ownership instead of leasing them from centralized entities like ICANN or GoDaddy.

• Interoperability with Web3: Tokenized domains, like those from ENS, integrate with dApps, wallets, and identity systems, simplifying Web3 interactions.

• Monetization and Trading: Tokenized domains become tradeable assets, enabling buying, selling, or fractional ownership on NFT marketplaces, and unlocking new economic potential.

• Decentralized Internet Infrastructure: Tokenized domains pair with decentralized solutions like IPFS, supporting a censorship-resistant, fully decentralized web.

• Digital Identity and Branding: Tokenized domains act as portable, verifiable digital identities, linking wallets and profiles for enhanced Web3 branding.

• Speculative Value: Tokenized domains are seen as a Web3 "land grab," with names like .fun or .dev gaining value, echoing the .com boom.

The combination of true ownership, Web3 integration, and economic potential makes domain tokenization a natural evolution for the decentralized internet. It’s not about replacing traditional domains, it’s about extending their capabilities onchain. As blockchain adoption grows, tokenized domains will become as foundational to Web3 as URLs were to Web2.

Just trust me on this one, k?

I’ll never write an ENS article without mentioning the importance of ecosystem building and development - bringing in new developers, thinking about developer acquisition, and fostering talent retention. This is a topic I could talk about for days.

The overall health and longevity of a chain or protocol are directly tied to the activity, dedication, and commitment of its developer community. Nurturing this is crucial. Initiatives like hackathons, events, rewards, grant programs, fellowship programs, and both small and large grants run by ENS working groups all play an essential role.

These are the areas we should focus on if we want ENS to continue thriving. While there’s always room for improvement, I truly believe that compared to other ecosystems, ENS ranks very highly… close to the top actually.

One often most overlooked strength of ENS is its incredible community - advocates, collectors, traders, brokers, community space hosts, educators, and more. These are people who have been passionate about ENS for years, with no compensation, incentives, or expectations in return. I remember one specific day there were a significant number of ENS name registrations. This resulted in ENS DAO generating substantial revenue, all thanks to the dedication, speculation, and belief of the ENS community in the ENS protocol. Whether we like it or not, speculation plays a role in driving demand, and it translates into profit!

Moreover, I’ve witnessed some incredible stories of people onboarding new users to crypto, gifting them ENS names, and donating names to others. The ENS community is made up of individuals who work tirelessly for the ecosystem, and no one officially employs them or provides the right tools to easily distribute names and subnames for profit or give incentives (financial or other) to keep doing what they are doing. This reveals a big misalignment of incentives. Unfortunately, the community of traders, speculators, and those seeking profit is often perceived negatively, and too many overlook its potential. But if we align incentives, this community could be a powerful engine for growth.

The hype, the name registrations, and the overall traction that ENS has gained can largely be attributed to this very community - through trading, hyping, and flipping .eth names. The true potential lies in leveraging the ENS community to drive real growth. Imagine allowing them to mint subnames for their friends, family, local businesses, followers, and communities. Believe it or not, this is already happening! I once heard a person tell a story about how they onboarded their local shop owner to crypto and had them register .eth name and set it as a primary name. True story.

If we enable all ENS name owners to become Web3 identity service providers and mint subnames for others, we could onboard millions of users. But to unlock this, we need platforms that make this possible, we need proper incentives that drive desired behaviours, and we need a lot of discussions to get there.

Meme tokens and meme communities are some of the most powerful forces in the crypto space, and they have an unmatched ability to onboard people into crypto. Ultimately, our goal should be to ensure every crypto user has access to an ENS name or subname. The specific strategies we use to get there may vary depending on the stage of the market cycle, but the end result remains the same.

Some of the degen-friendly approaches we’re currently exploring (and have confirmed they work) involve building tools and apps that cater to the needs of emerging and trendy protocols, like Farcaster and Frames. These platforms are a great fit for spreading ENS adoption quickly and effectively, especially within fast-moving communities.

We also worked with a few meme token communities during the Onchain Summer campaign led by Base. In each instance, we worked with amazingly talented folks who are the most passionate community builders I’ve ever seen. That said, I’ll always welcome working with anyone who has been an honest meme coiner, with a proven reputation for their brand, their values, and community strength.

If I was a smart man I would break this article into 5-10 smaller articles and publish them every few weeks making it look like I’m constantly writing about something. But I’m not a smart man as you can see.

Truth be told, I wish I had more time and energy to write about all of this. There’s so much more to share - so much I’ve learned about the protocol, the DAO, the inner workings of governance, the ENS ecosystem, and the countless products, ideas, and initiatives that ENS improves.

But, there’s plenty of time ahead of us and lots to do.

So let’s get to work.