GoDaddy Acquires Neustar’s Registry Business

GoDaddy Inc. announced it is acquiring Neustar Inc’s Registry business. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2020.

The Neustar Registry business features a high-performance backend registry technology platform and enhanced domain security systems that enable people and brands to seamlessly connect and transact online with speed, security and reliability.

“GoDaddy is committed to helping everyday entrepreneurs bring their ideas online with the best possible domain name choices,” said GoDaddy Chief Operating Officer Andrew Low Ah Kee. “Neustar’s registry platform enables us to accelerate that commitment and provides enhanced scalability for future growth. For more than two decades, GoDaddy has used its consumer insight to drive innovation in the domain industry and we’ll continue to do so by creating more choice and value for consumers.”

Commenting on the acquisition, Nikhil Arora Vice President and Managing Director, GoDaddy India., said, “GoDaddy’s acquisition of Neustar’s Registry business furthers our commitment to investing in the infrastructure of the internet to foster innovation and deliver great end-user experiences punctuated by speed, security and availability. GoDaddy has a strong history of collaboration with NIXI to support the growth of the .IN domain name and we’re committed to helping it grow in the years to come. Now more than ever small businesses and entrepreneurs in India need a strong online presence and GoDaddy is focused on helping them with the best possible choices for domain names.”

The new service will be called GoDaddy Registry and will be led by Nicolai Bezsonoff, currently Senior Vice President and General Manager of Neustar’s Registry business. As part of the transaction, GoDaddy will strictly adhere to a governance model that maintains independence between the GoDaddy registry and registrar businesses. GoDaddy has worked closely with both registrars and registries for more than 20 years to help grow a healthy and competitive domains market and it will continue to do so for the benefit of consumers and the industry.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mr. Bezsonoff said, “Our team is thrilled to join the GoDaddy family. We share a strong history of partnership and collaboration with GoDaddy that spans two decades. Additionally, we have the same values, a common culture of innovation, and a mutual vision for empowering individuals, businesses and brands to succeed online.”

The Neustar Registry business includes an extensive portfolio of top-level domains, including .biz, .co, .in, .nyc and .us, and supports more than 215 TLDs and approximately 12 million domains.  This includes its Managed Registry Services business that provides end-to-end registry management for over 130 brand TLDs and 70 generic TLDs.  Debevoise & Plimpton LLP acted as legal advisor to GoDaddy.