ENSv2 Goes Live on Ethereum With New Registry Architecture

The deployment follows a successful governance vote in October, where the proposal to activate the new system secured over 1.69 million ENS tokens in support. Founder Nick Johnson emphasized that there is no mandatory deadline for migration, allowing users to upgrade their names through the redesigned ENS App at their convenience. Under the new architecture, each name can operate its own registry, enabling organizations to manage subnames, permissions, and record-linking with greater granularity than the previous Name Wrapper system.

To mark the launch, ENS Labs introduced a commemorative NFT collection for wallets that held an eligible .eth name as of June 1, 2026. Designed by generative artist Simon Alexander-Adams, these collectibles feature rarity tiers based on name length, ranging from 'Elemental' for three-character labels to 'Common' for those six characters or longer. Minting is optional and requires users to cover associated gas fees. Beyond the protocol changes, the ecosystem is expanding its reach, with over 40 teams—including MetaMask, Safe, and Arbitrum—ready to support the upgraded infrastructure. Recent integrations, such as PayPal and Venmo’s support for ENS names and institutional adoption by firms like Bitwise, suggest a maturing utility for the protocol in both retail and professional finance.