NEAR Protocol news

AI-linked crypto tokens surged after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang outlined the company's AI infrastructure vision at the GTC keynote. NEAR rose over 10% to its strongest level since January, FET spiked up to 20% intraday, WLD gained about 10% near $0.40, and GRASS jumped 13% to 2026 highs. Huang projected roughly $1 trillion of chip demand backlog through 2027, with hyperscale cloud providers accounting for 60% of Nvidia's business, and highlighted the rapid rise of agentic AI, citing OpenClaw and the enterprise‑ready NemoClaw. While he did not mention crypto, blockchain projects are positioning themselves to provide rails for autonomous AI agents. Nvidia shares closed about 1.5% higher.

AI coins posted the strongest market performance in March, with sector market cap up 23.7% versus 18.8% for DeFi and 13.3% for smart‑contract platforms. NEAR Protocol leads AI‑coin trading volume, posting over $317 million in 24‑hour volume and trading around $1.35, up 39.4% in the past 30 days, though its price remains more than 90% below its previous cycle peak and over 80% below last year’s high. NEAR’s AI Agent Market recorded more than 747 active agents and 2,251 jobs as of March 13, 2026. A February fee‑switch event redirected 100% of fees from NEAR Intents into the token, adding buying pressure. Analysts cite a short‑term target near $2 and a long‑term outlook of $25‑$300 by 2030, but note the broader crypto market stays highly volatile.

NEAR Protocol surged 12.4% over the weekend, leading the CoinDesk 20 Index which moved 0.3% higher to 1907.12. Other gains were led by SOL (+2.1%), while DOT fell 7.3% and BCH down 4.5% as eight of the 20 assets traded higher.

NEAR launches Near.com, a super app that merges crypto wallet and AI features. It aims to make blockchain usage simple, integrating Bitcoin, stablecoins, NFTs, etc., into one interface. NEAR positions the app as a bridge between AI agents and blockchain, enabling programmable payments for AI‑driven tasks. They emphasize a confidential mode to keep on‑chain data private. The launch marks a shift toward mass adoption, with Polosukhin noting that NEAR has all components and is now focusing on scaling to billions. The NEAR token fell about 3% in the last 24 hours.

Grayscale filed a preliminary prospectus with the SEC to convert its NEAR Protocol Trust into an exchange‑traded fund that would trade on NYSE Arca. The trust, which holds fractional NEAR token ownership, currently has $900 k AUM and a NAV per share of $2.19, down 45% from launch. Grayscale has followed the same path with other assets, moving from private trust to OTC and now to an ETF.

NEAR Intents, a multichain protocol on NEAR, hit record metrics in November with daily fee revenue topping $400,000, cumulative fees over $10 million and daily trading volume exceeding $150 million—ten times the previous quarter. A Bitwise analysis projects weekly volume to jump more than tenfold, reaching $10 billion by June 2026, boosting NEAR’s token value through AI‑native activity. Despite these gains, NEAR’s price remains trapped in its 2025 accumulation zone, trading between $1.90 and $3.10. Bitcoin’s decline may press altcoins harder, with analysts warning a drop to $0.60 if Bitcoin falls to $84,000, yet the current $1.90 level sits on strong support and could set the stage for a rebound.

OceanPal Inc. raised $120 million via a private equity deal to fund SovereignAI Services LLC, which will acquire at least 10 % of NEAR Protocol’s token supply as part of the company’s digital‑asset strategy. Shares fell nearly 21 % on the announcement, closing at $1.74—a 20.9 % drop—despite the funding; the stock is 94 % down year‑to‑date. Revenue fell 54 % to $3.08 million and net loss reached $5.22 million; NEAR’s token also slid to $2.24, underscoring the uncertainty of OceanPal’s blockchain‑AI pivot.

OceanPal Inc. announced a $120M private investment in public equity to launch SovereignAI, a subsidiary focused on commercializing the NEAR Protocol and developing AI infrastructure. The new unit will pursue a crypto treasury strategy, aiming to acquire up to 10% of the NEAR token supply, partnering with the NEAR Foundation. The announcement also marked a leadership shakeup, appointing former State Street executive Sal Ternullo as co‑CEO and BNY Mellon veteran David Schwed as COO. NEAR Foundation co‑founder Illia Polosukhin joined SovereignAI’s advisory board alongside OpenAI’s Lukasz Kaiser.

The move is backed by investors including Kraken and Fabric Ventures, and OceanPal's shipping business will continue to operate separately.

OceanPal Inc., a Nasdaq‑listed shipping firm, closed a $120 million private investment in public equity to launch SovereignAI Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that will build digital‑asset and AI infrastructure in partnership with the NEAR Foundation. The capital will fund a blockchain‑native digital‑asset treasury on NEAR Protocol and a confidential AI cloud platform that combines NEAR and Nvidia technologies. SovereignAI plans to acquire at least 10 % of the NEAR token supply and position itself as a public investment vehicle offering exposure to NEAR and AI infrastructure. Investors include Kraken, Proximity, Fabric Ventures, G20 Group and the NEAR Foundation, whose advisory board features co‑founder Illia Polosukhin, Richard Muirhead, Lukasz Kaiser, Philippe Sachs, Andy Brown and Jackie Kennedy. OceanPal will keep its core shipping operations while diversifying into blockchain and AI.