Manmeet Pal Singh
DOMAINX CEO

A lot of water has gone under the domain bridge since the last DomainX event, so there will be a lot to catch up on. Manmeet told us, "The Indian domain investment market has matured significantly over the past decade, with domain investors becoming more data-driven and globally connected. While premium .com names remain the strongest asset class, we’ve also seen increased activity in ccTLDs like .in and .co.in, particularly for startups targeting the Indian consumer market"

"The challenge many domain investors still face is liquidity—moving inventory at sustainable margins, especially when end-users are price-sensitive. Plus, NIXI (operator of .in and .co.in) aren’t supportive of ccTLD domain investors. However, the rise of AI-driven businesses and digital-first ventures has opened new opportunities for keyword-rich brandable domains. The key for Indian domain investors has been patience and an international outlook, as many successful sales still come from overseas buyers in .com and other new gTLDs."

Manmeet added, "What’s been working well is focusing on quality over quantity—curating domain portfolios with strong one and two keyword .coms, short brandables, and premium .in domains that align with India’s digital growth story. Networking at global events and platforms like DOMAINX has also helped investors position themselves better in the international market. Indian domain investors who adapt to global trends, build relationships with end-users, and understand the nuances of branding are seeing real success, while those relying solely on bulk registrations are struggling. I strongly feel that the real wins are coming from domain investors who think globally, but also understand the branding needs of India’s fast-growing digital economy."

One of the many leaders from India's domain community that I first met and heard speak at that 2015 event was attorney Rodney D. Ryder (Scriboard.com) Mr. Ryder, who deals with a lot of domain issues at the corporate level told us, "Domain names are vital to the Indian business and corporate ecosystem. Brand owners and brand-driven organizations are learning the importance of acquiring and owning crucial digital real estate - like the .com and .ai. In the Indian context, we have also seen increased awareness resulting in litigation, online dispute resolution and digital brand management. The domain name ecosystem and online brand management is rapidly scaling in India as brands are deploying resources on an exponential scale in order to prevail in a highly competitive yet thriving start-up ecosystem."

Rodney D. Ryder
Founding Partner, Scriboard

Mr. Ryder will be speaking again at DOMAINX 2025, as will another top notch attorney I met at the Bangalore event in 2015, Ankur Raheja. ICANN will also be represented alongside many successful business leaders, brokers and individual investors. All of that insight will be available to attendees comes at an extraordinarily low cost with ticket prices starting at ₹3,499 (~ $40).