Anguilla's .ai domain name generates almost half of government revenue

THE VALLEY, Anguilla. Anguilla, a British dependency in the Eastern Caribbean with a population of about 14,500, is earning large sums from the global popularity of its internet domain name, .ai, amid worldwide interest in artificial intelligence.

While neighbours such as The Bahamas and St Vincent earn revenue from open ship registries, Anguilla is capitalising on the domain it was assigned in 1995, when few cared about the allocation and very few used it. That has changed dramatically in recent months.

Revenue figures

Premier Cora Richardson Hodge says the treasury has already collected a large share of its annual revenue in the first seven months of 2026.

"After only seven months, the government has already collected 76% of the entire year's budgetary revenue. Domain name registration has generated Eastern Caribbean $217 or US$80 million between January and July, or 47.5% of all government revenue to date," she said.

She added that this was more than the EC$203 million (US$75 million) in tax revenue generated by the territory's entire productive sector over the same period.

Responding to opposition requests for a financial update, the premier signalled that there are no plans to squander the windfall.

"The government's approach is guided by prudence, sustainability, and responsibility to both present and future generations. Reserves are a national safeguard, to be used judiciously where circumstances require," she said.

Management deal

Local officials say the cabinet has signed off on a deal with an American digital company to manage the domain name and its income. The arrangement is to run initially for five years, until 2029. Registrations and use of the name had exceeded a million up to mid-year.

IMF caution

The International Monetary Fund and other economic experts have urged officials to make the most of the revenue now, warning that interest in .ai and the artificial intelligence concept could eventually fade, reducing income to the island.

Anguilla is one of six British dependencies in the Caribbean, alongside Bermuda, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and the Cayman Islands.