CentralNic's .xyz domain approved in China

Internet company CentralNic’s .xyz domain has been approved by the Chinese government for use in the country.

The .xyz domain is one of the first endings to be accredited by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MITT) to allow business and individuals in china to use the domain to host their websites from 16 December.

CentralNic, with its partner .XTM, put in place a customised technology platform that has been approved by both the global internet regulator ICANN and China's MIIT.

The domain, which is among the first batch of non-Chinese ‘not-COM’ domains approved for Chinese citizens, is currently sold through more retailers than any other new top-level domain name, and is already a “multi-million seller” in China.

CentralNic’s chief executive Ben Crawford China is the biggest new top-level market, and the approval could accelerate .XYZ’s growth.

Shares in CentralNic were down 0.21% to 45.65p at 0801 GMT.