News

X To Sell Rare Usernames For Up To Seven Figures

The platform’s new handle marketplace lets paid users claim dormant usernames, with some priced in the millions.

Published

7 months ago

October 21, 2025

x to sell rare usernames for up to seven figures

X has opened a marketplace for inactive usernames, turning what was once a common but very “grey” trade into an official channel. Paying subscribers can now buy or request dormant handles — and the most coveted may cost more than a million dollars.

Two categories are on offer. “Priority” handles cover full names or phrases such as @PizzaEater or @GabrielJones. These are tied to Premium+ and Business subscriptions, which must stay active or the handle can be revoked. “Rare” handles — short or generic names like @one or @fly — will be sold through invitation-only sales or public drops. Some may be given away “based on merit,” a term X links to user engagement and past contributions.

Prices for rare handles start around $2,500 and can rise into seven figures, depending on demand and cultural value. Buyers must hold a paid tier to apply but can keep the handle without renewing once it’s assigned.

X calls the project “an evolving initiative” and says it wants to set “a new standard for social media handles,” comparing it to how Community Notes reshaped transparency on the platform.

Andrew Allemann, publisher of Domain Name Wire, said the plan mirrors the expired domain market. “People have been buying and selling handles off X for a long time, and X hasn’t been getting a cut of that,” he said. “This will get some of the better handles back into use”.

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Allemann was, however, keen to point out that even if someone purchases a username on a social media platform, they don’t own any of the content they publish. “If you create your website, you control it, and people can always come to it. On social media, the single billionaire owner of it could decide they don’t like you, and it’s pretty much within their rights to kick you off”.

This latest move by X follows a string of contested reassignments — including the @X, @Music and @America handles — and shows how the company is treating usernames less as personal identifiers and more as tradable assets within its paid ecosystem.

News

Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform

Finance and technology ministers say a comparative study and roadmap will follow before any decision on adopting a model.

Published

22 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Joanna Melki

lebanon ministers meet visa over national digital payment platform

Lebanon’s finance and technology ministers met representatives from Visa last week to discuss a proposed unified national digital payment platform for government services, according to a readout from the Ministry of Finance.

The meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh, a Visa delegation, and experts from both ministries. Discussion focused on whether Lebanon could establish a single platform through which citizens and institutions would pay taxes, fees, fines and other official transactions electronically, using mobile phones and other digital channels.

The Visa delegation presented examples from countries that have adopted unified government payment platforms, including the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Estonia and Jordan. According to the readout, the examples were presented as having increased collection rates and expanded financial inclusion.

Talks covered settlement mechanisms, direct transfer to the treasury account, financial reconciliation, risk management, cybersecurity, fees, and an operational model that would involve the private sector. The parties agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations, prepare a comparative study, and develop an implementation roadmap before any decision on adopting a model for Lebanon.

Jaber said the Ministry of Finance had already enabled citizens to pay using credit cards and e-wallets through transfer companies, but described the proposed platform as a further step. He framed the development of electronic payment and collection systems as a priority within the ministry’s modernization plan.

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Shehadeh outlined the citizen-facing concept as a single mobile application through which users could settle obligations to ministries, government institutions and other bodies.

“The idea, in short, is that any citizen downloads an application on their mobile phone, through which they can pay all service obligations for all ministries, government institutions, or those owned by the Lebanese state, and others as well, as the platform is not limited only to state institutions,” he said.

Shehadeh added that the platform would not displace banks and money transfer companies that currently provide collection services to the state, calling it complementary to their work.