ENSv2 launches on Ethereum as NFT claims require name upgrades

Ethereum Name Service has launched ENSv2 on Ethereum mainnet, introducing individual registries for subnames and an optional commemorative NFT for wallets eligible under a June 1 snapshot.

Summary

• Existing .eth names remain usable, with eligible holders able to upgrade through the ENS App.
• Each name can have its own registry, with separate permissions for managing subnames.
• NFT eligibility uses a June 1, 2026 snapshot and allows one collectible per eligible wallet.
• More than 40 teams were ready for ENSv2, according to the project's launch posts.

ENS Labs announced the Oct. 27 release alongside a redesigned ENS App and ENS Explorer, while confirming that existing names will keep working without re-registration.

ENSv2 lets owners upgrade without registering again

In its launch announcement, ENS Labs said holders can move eligible .eth names into ENSv2 through the application when they want to use its new capabilities. Keeping an existing name does not require registering it a second time.

ENSv2 is live on Ethereum mainnet.

Register a name, explore the protocol, and build what comes next. pic.twitter.com/TdkAfWdPy3
--- ens.eth (@ensdomains) October 27, 2026

The release follows founder Nick Johnson's Oct. 11 activation proposal, which crypto.news previously reported had sought approval to activate the new system. At that stage, the contracts had been deployed, but the upgraded registrar was not authorized to accept registrations.

The proposal was executed on Oct. 27 after receiving support representing about 1.69 million ENS tokens, while opposition represented just 24.94 tokens, exceeding the one-million-token quorum.

"There's no deadline to migrate," Johnson wrote in the proposal's section on name owners.

According to the proposal, activation stops new registrations through the old registrar and transfers its ownership to a contract that permits renewals. Names that have not migrated remain renewable through the designated ENSv1 renewal contract.

Johnson's activation plan separates the governance transaction from subsequent work by ENS Labs, including a final synchronization of ownership records, opening ENSv2 registrations and transferring remaining administrative roles.

The proposal commits the team to publishing transactions and a script checking that the deployer retains no roles.

NFT claims follow upgrades of all eligible names

ENS Labs' collectible announcement sets eligibility using the June 1, 2026 snapshot. An eligible address receives one NFT even if it held several names, and the card becomes visible after all eligible names have been upgraded. Expired names and names that cannot migrate do not block the reveal.

Minting is optional and requires payment of Ethereum transaction gas. Holders can inspect the artwork before claiming, and completing name upgrades does not commit them to minting.

Created by generative artist Simon Alexander-Adams, known as Polyhop, the cards use five traits tied to ENS history. Name length determines the rarity tier, with three-character labels classified as Elemental, four as Rare, five as Uncommon, and six or more as Common.

The snapshot determines the displayed name, using the address's primary name or its longest-held name if no primary name was set. ENS Labs says a fixed seed determines the remaining variation, so claiming earlier or refreshing the page does not change the artwork or rarity.

Individual registries let organizations manage subnames together

In its architecture explanation, ENS Labs describes how a name can supply its own registry for the names beneath it. A community issuing membership names can replace that registry in one operation when it wants to reset its membership namespace.

Multiple names can point to the same registry contract. In the team's example, two organizations share entries for managers, moderators, and members, allowing the same underlying registry to supply those subnames under separate parent names.

The architecture replaces the Name Wrapper's fuse-based controls with roles. ENS Labs illustrates the design through a company assigning one administrator responsibility for all records, another for payment addresses, and a third for its avatar.

Expiration changes how subnames remain accessible. The architecture explanation says an expired name stops resolving and its entire subtree becomes inaccessible. If someone subsequently registers the parent name, the new registration starts without the old subtree, instead of keeping the previous subname records active.

The Permissioned Resolver documentation specifies a limit on how its delegated roles work. Permission to edit one text key, such as an avatar, applies to every name served by that resolver instance. Restricting access to selected names requires serving them from their own resolver instance, the documentation explains.

Record linking has a separate function. According to the documentation, several names can share a complete bundle of records without duplicating the values. Unlinking one name leaves the underlying record available to other names still using it, while the link applies to the whole bundle rather than selected fields.

ENS tools accompany wallet and payment integrations

The new ENS App combines registration with renewal tools, profile customization and notifications. ENS Labs describes the registration process as feeling like a single action, while the Explorer lets users examine ownership, name history, resolution and configuration.

In its launch thread, the project named MetaMask, Safe, 1inch, Aragon, Arbitrum, Jumper, and Lighter among more than 40 teams ready for ENSv2.

US payment integrations predate the upgrade. In September 2024, ENS Labs announced PayPal and Venmo support, allowing US users to enter ENS names when sending cryptocurrency. The companies' integration retrieves the associated wallet address and includes an address book for saved names.

Institutional use appeared in July 2024, when Bitwise published five ENS-tagged addresses for its US spot Ethereum ETF, ETHW. In its announcement, the asset manager said the records allowed anyone to verify holdings and flows onchain, and pledged to publish more addresses as the fund grew.