IE-Annual-Report-&-Review-2024

Turnover increased by €105k (2.5%) to €4.3 million (2023 – €4.21 million). The Company increased its prices at the end of 2024 having delayed its response to surging inflation and interest rates, arising from war in Europe in 2022 and post-pandemic supply chains issues. The deferred income on the balance sheet was largely unchanged, increasing by 3.1% in 2024, to €3.15 million (2023 – €3.05 million). This represents the future service obligation to provide registration service in respect of domains paid for in advance by customers. New registrations are an indication of the digital intentions of business, individuals and entrepreneurs. Statistical agencies, including the Central Bank, classify new domains as a forward economic indicator of digital activity. We commend our accredited Registrar community for their ongoing marketing and customer activities and their commitment to growing the .ie namespace. National cybersecurity threats The .IE technical services team continues to protect the national DNS infrastructure against ongoing and new external cybersecurity threats, in particular in the face of the continuing global increase in ransomware, malware and DDoS attacks. The Company continues to make a positive contribution to the safety, security and resilience of our national critical Internet infrastructure. During 2024, the data escrow function continued to operate, whereby relevant data sets within the .ie database are extracted, encrypted and transmitted to a third-party, to be held in safekeeping and only released to appropriate authorities in the unlikely event of a catastrophic event occurring at the registry. This added layer of resilience, reliability and protection provides business continuity and peace of mind for Government, regulators and stakeholders. EU Regulatory impact on a ccTLD Critical national infrastructure continues to be a target of international cyber criminals and state actors. EU regulatory authorities have intensified their response, seeking to harmonise cyber defense of critical infrastructure across Europe, including the domain registration sector. It is clear that .IE will need to allocate increased resources and attention to manage the disruption and cost impact of a rapidly expanding regulatory regime, particularly with NIS2, CER and eID. During 2024, the substantive work of the .IE Policy Advisory Committee focused on understanding the practical implications of identity verification regulations under Article 28 proposals within the NIS2 Directive, and the cybersecurity obligations of supply chain management. Of particular focus is the inter-dependency of the registry with its Accredited Registrar channel (page 28), spread throughout Ireland, the US and Europe. During 2024, there was no substantive progress on the Company’s application to ICANN for the transfer from UCD of ‘ccTLD Manager’ status to IE Domain Registry, which was submitted to ICANN in February 2011, accompanied by letters of support from stakeholders in the local Internet community. In order to complete the transfer request ICANN will need a letter of support from the Irish government. The Department of Communications, Culture and Sport is still considering the matter. We remain hopeful that the designation of IE Domain Registry as an Operator of Essential Services (OES) in 2019 may provide a way forward. There is an increased urgency, given the need to designate a “top-level domain name registry” with the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) when transposing the EU NIS2 Directive. In this regard, the Company welcomes the Department’s public consultation, issued in December 2024, as an important step in its process. Outlook for 2025 New domain registrations for the first half of 2025 at 25,592 is up by 7% compared to the same period in 2024 (23,919 domains). This resumption of .ie domain growth in early 2025 is welcome, but remains fragile in the context of business uncertainty around the impact of US tariffs on domestic economic growth and fiscal policy. Across the EU economy, the prospects for future domain growth are likewise generally uncertain. Appreciation As we enter a new Corporate Strategy development cycle for 2025-2028, I look forward to working with our Board of Directors and thank the members and the Board sub-committees in particular for their ongoing support and guidance. I am deeply appreciative of the professionalism and support I have received from board colleagues Dan Flinter and Anne-Marie Löwinder, who both retired from the Board at the AGM in 2025. I would like to express my sincerest thanks and appreciation to our dedicated staff who have earned enormous credit and respect for their development of our services, our impact and, of paramount importance, the protection of our mission-critical systems and the DNS. We look forward to working with our industry colleagues and partners as we face the future with optimism for growth and digital development. David Curtin Chief Executive 28 July 2025 Chief Executive’s Report IE Domain Registry CLG t/a .IE / Annual Report & Review 2024 6