The top-level domain (TLD) “.ALIPAY” does not currently exist in the Domain Name System (DNS) structure which is used across the internet. To elaborate, “ALIPAY” is a well-known digital wallet platform and online payment system developed by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. However, in the context of internet domains, the “.ALIPAY” TLD does not belong to any recognized set of TLD names set by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
A top-level domain is the last segment of the domain name. It is the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. Examples of commonly-used TLDs include “.com” for commercial, “.org” for organizations, “.gov” for government entities, “.edu” for educational institutions, and “.net” for networks. National or country-specific TLDs are also used, such as “.uk” for the United Kingdom, “.fr” for France, and “.cn” for China, among others. There are also sponsored TLDs such as “.aero” for the air transport industry, “.coop” for cooperative businesses, and “.museum” for museums (Source: ICANN).
In recent years, ICANN has enacted a program to expand the variety of TLDs to include more generic TLDs (gTLDs) including brand names, communities, and categories of goods or services. This program is referred to as the New gTLD Program. Some examples from this program include “.google” for Google, “.apple” for Apple, and “.amazon” for Amazon (Source: ICANN).
However, in order to obtain a gTLD, a formal application must be submitted to ICANN during open application periods, including a detailed plan for how the proposed gTLD will be operated and a considerable application fee. At the end of the evaluation process, if approved, the new TLD is incorporated into the internet’s root directory and becomes accessible worldwide. As of now, “.ALIPAY” has not been requested or approved as a gTLD under this program (Source: ICANN).
In view of the above, it should be noted that even though Alipay is a well-established brand, there is no “.ALIPAY” TLD in existence based on current ICANN records. Therefore, if you are looking to establish a secure online communication channel or create a website related to Alipay, you may want to consider using a traditional TLD such as “.com” or “.net”, or consider applying for a new gTLD through ICANN’s procedure when the next application period opens.
(Source: ICANN: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/tlds-2012-02-25-en)
