Also called registry operator · domain name registry
Registry, explained
Verisign runs .com and .net, Public Interest Registry runs .org, and national bodies such as DENIC and Nominet run .de and .uk. Registries for gTLDs do not sell to the public: they set wholesale prices, policies and launch rules, and accredited registrars sell to registrants. Many registries outsource the technical work to a back-end provider, so the organization behind an extension and the company running its systems can differ.
For an investor, the registry sets your holding cost. It decides renewal prices within its contract, designates registry premiums, reserves and releases names, and defines lifecycle timings such as grace periods. Under ICANN's base registry agreement, used by most gTLDs, a registry must generally give registrars 180 days' notice of a renewal price increase and allow renewals of up to ten years at the old price before it takes effect. Watch registry announcements in any extension you hold in volume, because one price change hits every name you own there.
Example. When a registry announces a renewal increase, an investor with many names in that extension renews the best ones for several years at the current price and lets marginal names lapse.
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Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.