Registry (Registry Operator)

A registry (or registry operator) is the organization that runs the master database for one or more TLDs — e.g. Verisign for .com, the Public Interest Registry for .org. It sets wholesale prices and policies and delegates retail sales to registrars, which is why you buy a .com from GoDaddy or Namecheap, not from Verisign directly. The registry, its registrars, and the registrant form the three-tier system that ICANN coordinates. When Namefi tokenizes a domain, the registry's authoritative DNS record is unchanged — tokenization adds a wallet-controlled ownership layer on top. Sources: ICANN registry listings; IANA root database.