The Fundació .cat becomes Accent Obert: what changes, and what does the .cat domain gain?

The .cat domain remains a central asset in this new stage, which expands and reinforces the foundational mission of ensuring the presence of Catalan online

This past May, Fundació .cat —the organization responsible for managing the .cat domain— entered a new phase, changing its name and expanding its foundational mission. Coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of its creation—born from a broad civic mobilization—Fundació .cat has become Accent Obert, while maintaining the core essence it was founded upon: to ensure that the Catalan language plays a prominent role on the Internet, on equal footing with all other world cultures.

Two decades of successful .cat domain management lay the groundwork for this ambitious new chapter. Over these 20 years, the Fundació —through its Board of Trustees— has built strong ties across Catalan-speaking regions and has emerged as the representative entity of the Catalan cultural community in international forums where the future of the digital sphere is being shaped. A future that is already here.

A stronger structure to consolidate and expand the use of Catalan on the Internet

Accent Obert will continue to manage the .cat domain and will remain its official holder—both in relation to the more than 113,000 individuals, businesses, and organizations already using it, and to ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the global body responsible for domain approval and oversight.

The new organization will operate across four key areas: managing digital infrastructures —such as the .cat domain, but also domains like .barcelona or .ad—; providing tools that enable people to live fully in Catalan in digital spaces; promoting talent in the creation of digital content in Catalan; and defending the digital rights of Catalan-speaking communities.

This shift to Accent Obert further reinforces the central role of the .cat domain in sustaining Catalan online, positioning it as a key player in the management of digital infrastructure for the region. This role will open the door to new partnerships, services, and projects that strengthen the ecosystem and long-term viability of the .cat domain in an increasingly complex technological landscape.

What stays the same?

• Ownership and management of the .cat domain remains in the hands of a nonprofit foundation, with a public service mission and a commitment to transparency
• High service standards and premium-level security for .cat domains
• The symbolic and practical representation of Catalan language and culture online through the .cat domain

What improves?

• The institutional, technical, and communications capabilities of the foundation
• An expanded Board of Trustees and a project-based, networked operating model that multiplies collaboration opportunities for the .cat domain within the Catalan digital ecosystem
• Stronger ties between the .cat domain and a new wave of services, tools, campaigns, and digital projects that all share the goal of enabling life in Catalan in digital environments

A new name, the same commitment to the .cat domain

With Accent Obert, the .cat domain will be at the heart of a larger, denser, and more diverse ecosystem—one capable of influencing digital policy, building communities, and driving innovation. It will be a key infrastructure: better protected, better positioned, and better equipped to face the challenges of the Catalan-speaking community in the digital world. Challenges that are no longer on the horizon—they’re already here.