An AI-Powered Boost to Anguilla's Revenues

IMF News, May 15, 2024

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AI technologies like ChatGPT (launched in November 2022) spurred a surge in demand for the .ai country-code internet domain.
Registrations rose from 144,000 registrations in 2022 to 354,000 in 2023.
In 2023 this surge generated EC$87 million in revenue (approximately US$32 million), representing just over 20 percent of the government's total revenue for the year.
Prior to the surge, revenue from .ai domain registrations hovered around 5 percent of government revenue.
The government expects revenue from .ai domain registrations to stabilize at around 15 percent of total government revenue as the initial rush slows.

Tourism accounts for 37 percent of GDP, making the economy heavily dependent on tourism.
The .ai domain registration boom contributes to diversifying the economy and increasing resilience to external shocks.
The pricing model: US$140 for a two-year domain registration.
Renewal dynamics: about 90 percent of domains are renewed after two years.
Value of expired domains evidenced by auctions, e.g., “litigate.ai” was auctioned for US$13,000 in 2023.

2023 .ai revenues provided a fiscal windfall used to:
- Pay down debt.
- Prioritize capital expenditure.
Planned investments and priorities include:
- Key infrastructure projects such as the development of the airport.
- Long-term, sustainable projects in renewable energy.
- Medium-term focus on the Blue Economy, including sustainable fishery and biodiversity preservation.

Anguilla’s experience is comparable to other Small Island Developing States that have benefited from country code top-level domains assigned in the 1990s (example: Tuvalu’s .tv).
Success factors highlighted:
- A pricing and renewal model that encourages new registrations and secures recurring revenue.
- Strategic fiscal planning to allocate one-off windfalls towards debt reduction, capital investment, and sustainable, long-term projects.

Source: IMF News — "An AI-Powered Boost to Anguilla's Revenues" by Flavien Moreau, May 15, 2024.

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