.bbva Domain

THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .BBVA gTLD IS TO BENEFIT INTERNET USERS BY ENSURING INCREASED TRUST, CONVENIENCE AND ASSURANCE OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY.

The new .bbva gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A (BBVA) can create and control domain names within .bbva that promote the identity and authenticity of its brand. In this regard, .bbva will be used to promote user confidence in the security and global presence of BBVA's services and brand .bbva will be used by BBVA to provide information, services and resources to its customers in a way that promotes trust and convenience. The .bbva gTLD will provide an authoritative and secure internet space for BBVA, its affiliates and partners that are associated with the brand. .bbva domain names will be utilised for promoting and marketing BBVA's products and services, for the provision of online services and the distribution of information, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.

Business activities are increasingly conducted over the internet, allowing for greater levels of interaction between businesses and customers. As a result, both businesses and end users benefit from ease of interaction and a wider range of choices with lower transaction costs. However, the development in this area in the current domain name system has exposed both businesses and consumers to increased criminal activities over the internet, including data breach, hacking and phishing. These sophisticated criminal activities cause reputational damage to businesses as internet users lose consumer confidence and trust with the businesses targeted by such criminal activities. The .bbva gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with BBVA online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction. The restricted nature of .bbva will ensure that end users experience trustworthy, reliable and secure interactions with BBVA.


PURPOSES:

BBVA's mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN's initiatives to promote public interest. BBVA is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:

- Consumer Trust: the .bbva gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to BBVA and its affiliate entities, which will provide added consumer trust that .bbva domain names are authentic and secure. As .bbva domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under BBVA's control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .bbva domain space;

- Competition: the proposed new gTLD is not intended to instigate competition and consumer choice at the level of registration of domain names among prospective registrants. Instead it is anticipated to contribute to such initiatives through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust. Increased trust in the .bbva gTLD will drive existing and new top level domain (TLD) registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs; and

- Consumer Choice: the proposed new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations assisting BBVA's marketing efforts through its ability to create new second and third level domain names on demand. These names will provide the consumers with more choices for interacting with BBVA. As BBVA has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under .bbva domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet. As consumer trust strengthens, it is also anticipated that the number of electronic transactions will increase, which will have a positive effect on the business dynamism worldwide.


BBVA intends to create relevant domain names for use including product, services or geographic names in the second or third level domain names. In accordance with registration policies and the proposed measures for protection of geographic names as outlined in response to Question 22, BBVA will use geographic names to localise its websites in over 30 countries where BBVA currently operates. The use of geographic names is intended to:

- connect internet users with relevant information as applicable to the territory; and

- comply with required rules and regulations in the national territory.


BBVA will also utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level, initially in Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and French. The use of IDNs will allow internet users to engage with .bbva in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encourage diversity. As the use of the .bbva gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that the use of IDNs, including additional languages will increase within the .bbva domain space.

BBVA is concerned about the above key issues regarding ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments contemplated in relation to the operation of the .bbva gTLD, which consist, among others, consumer protection, security, stability and resiliency, malicious abuse issues, sovereignty concerns and right protection. BBVA demonstrates its commitments to address such issues in its response to relevant sections of this application.

BBVA is a global group that offers a range of financial and non-financial products and services to individual and corporate customers. BBVA was first established in Spain over 150 years ago, and now operates in over 30 countries, with 106,000 employees, 950,000 shareholders, 7,300 branches and 50 million customers. BBVA operates on a model that promotes innovation, growth and generation of profit based on its cornerstone values of people, teamwork, ethical principles and technology. In this regard, consumer trust and continuous innovation are paramount in all its activities. .bbva will promote BBVA as an innovation and technology leader, whilst furthering its reputation as a secure financial institution.

BBVA is a well-recognised global brand with over 1,800 trademarks, which include the word "BBVA", registered in 180 countries and territories. Of these, more than 500 trademarks are exact match to the "BBVA" brand. BBVA's trademarks are registered in, but not limited to, the following categories: insurance, financial affairs, monetary affairs, real estate affairs; education and provision of training, advertising, business management, business administration and office functions.
BBVA has existing domain names with an exact match to the "BBVA" trademark; including 11 gTLDs and more than 150 country-code TLDs (ccTLDs). BBVA also has domain names containing the "BBVA" trademark in over600gTLDs and 900ccTLDs.

Given the restricted nature of the .bbva gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that small number of domain names (up to 500) will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to around 1000 to 1500domain names as new services and marketing campaigns are developed and implemented. As the use of the new .bbva gTLD expands and evolves, BBVA will continue to comply with all operational, technical and policy requirements, as well as maintaining consumer trust and the stability of the internet. BBVA will keep ICANN reasonably informed of any material developments relating to the .bbva gTLD, including compliance with the continued operations instrument obligations as set out in Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement.

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