FIO is one of the best onchain naming protocols - yet it hasn’t taken the place it deserves.

A simple, radical, and powerful shift can reverse this and give FIO a new life, a second chance to prosper:

Make FIO Domains Permanent (Forever Domains)
One-time purchase. No renewals. True ownership.

Why Now? Because waiting risks being too late.
This is not just about growth. It’s about survival.

Only 160 domains were registered in the first half of 2025 (excluding protocol-reserved 19 domains).

Total registered domains? Around 1500. Nearly 50% of domains were dropped over the past year.

This isn’t a seasonal dip. It’s a long-term bleed. And the bleeding doesn’t stop with domains. The protocol’s treasury has also been bleeding for years.

We need to act decisively. And we can - with a change that is simple, powerful, and aligned with Web3 values.

✅ The Case for Forever Domains

1.💸 Immediate Revenue. No Renewals = More Sales

Forever Domains (no renewals) would trigger a surge in new registrations.
And the registration price can be set higher - $50–$99 per Forever Domain is fair and still attractive. It goes without saying: this only makes sense for Forever Domains. Raising prices without removing renewals would backfire.

10,000 forever domains in a year at $60 = $600,000 in revenue.

And this isn't a dream. It's realistic.

FIO still has work to do to become well-known, but some domainers already know FIO - yet most still hold back from buying.
Why?
The main barrier is a fear of commitment to something that is not popular yet. Remove renewals, and domainers suddenly see no downside. Buying 10, 50, even 100 good names at fair prices becomes rational - even for newcomers.

I wouldn’t be surprised if 30,000 Forever Domains were registered in a year.

Why? Because:
Users are comfortable investing even if they don’t fully understand the protocol or its future.
Domainers don’t worry about future renewals or whether “it’s worth it long-term.”
It’s one decision, one payment, permanent ownership.

There are plenty of good domains available, so if domains are forever domains the road to 10k, 30k, even 50–100k domains doesn’t look hard.

With Forever Domains:
Domainers get active
Registrations soar
The protocol earns
Everyone wins

Of course, nothing is guaranteed. Maybe we won’t see 30,000 registrations in the first year.
But one thing is guaranteed: there will be much more.
More registrations. More users. More attention.
And more chances for FIO to survive - and to win.

2. 🔐 True Ownership, Real Web3

How can you "own" something if it can expire?

Crypto is about digital sovereignty, not digital rent.

Domains that can be lost due to life events - illness, medical emergencies, accidents, natural disasters, imprisonment or detainment, war, political upheaval, pandemic, app bugs or device problems, family tragedies, mental health breaks - aren't really yours.

“Renewable ownership” is never fully secure.
Even people with intent can lose access - through no fault of their own.

We made FIO handles permanent for this exact reason.
Now it’s time to apply the same logic to FIO domains.

This change aligns FIO with the ethos of Web3: Own it. Control it.

Of course, all currently registered domains (including those in grace) would also become Forever Domains automatically and at no extra cost.

3. ⚠️ Prevent a Looming Security Disaster

Here's A REAL USER STORY we’ve already seen on X:

“I registered dyor@dyor, but it’s gone from my account. Big problem here!"

What happened? The user simply bought what they thought was a forever handle: dyor@dyor. The parent domain, @dyor, had been registered and made public by someone else. It expired - and the user lost their handle without even knowing it. These aren’t normies - they’re experienced onchain users.

And now there are only so few users with FIO domains. Now imagine 10,000 or 100,000 users with FIO domains. It's a trust crisis in the making.

This will happen:
Dropped domains will be re-registered.
On purpose or not, same handles will be recreated, new owner's addresses mapped.
Old owners will send assets to their old handles, without knowing they don't control them anymore.
Money will be lost for them.

It’s not hypothetical. It's inevitable. This will 100% happen - and it will 100% result in lost money and broken trust.

Some may argue: “The market leader, ENS, uses renewals - and it works.” But ENS never promises permanence.
In contrast, FIO actively uses phrases like “forever handles” or “your handle never expire.”
And no matter how many disclaimers we add - even if placed everywhere - it’s simply impossible to make all users understand that “forever” really means “as long as you or someone keep renewing the domain.”
Trying to clarify that in every interface or description would make things confusing, bloated, and still ineffective - many users simply won’t read it carefully.

The only real fix is simple: permanent domains = permanent handles = permanent trust.

4. ❤️ Community Loyalty Like Never Before

Want loyal users? Give them something that’s truly theirs.

Look at the Unstoppable Domains community - they post about their domains every day. Why? Because they know they’re permanent.

That permanence makes everything easier: building identity, establishing brand, and holding value over time.

Most of the UD community are domainers. They’re not posting just for fun - they’re showcasing assets. And they’re not worried about when the market matures. Without renewals, they can wait. Hold for months, years, even decades. No stress. No ticking clock.

That’s what makes permanent domains so powerful: they remove urgency, unlock patience, and make long-term conviction possible. Long-term conviction encourages people to buy more - whenever they have funds available.

Now take a look at ENS. While there are still a lot of ENS maxis, many people dropped ENS domains they once loved. Not because they wanted to - but because of renewal cost. Many of them became ENS haters. Not because ENS was bad - but because it hurt them.

That’s how psychological trauma works in crypto. It’s much easier to become a critic than come back after being burned. Haters are toxic for any ecosystem.

With Forever Domains:
You create instant evangelists.
People start tweeting, building, bragging, engaging.
Old users buy more domains. New users flow in.

Renewals often lead to regret, resentment, burnout.
Forever leads to confidence, joy, and long-term love.

And It All Compounds

This isn’t a one-time lift - it’s a virtuous cycle:
→ No renewals
→ More domains registered
→ More users talk
→ Social proof grows
→ More people explore
→ Even more domains registered
→ Cycle repeats

And with scale, it triggers:
Secondary market activity
Real protocol usage
Bundles buying
More organic integrations