NEAR Protocol news

NEAR Protocol has introduced a staking-based payment system for its AI platform, enabling users to access AI services by locking NEAR tokens instead of using credit cards. The system converts staked tokens into monthly compute credits covering all 43 AI models on NEAR AI, with users retaining ownership and able to unstake anytime. The feature supports confidential inference and autonomous agents, removing the need for cloud billing accounts or stored payment credentials. NEAR positions this as part of an 'agent economy' where staked tokens secure the network while paying for AI computation. This launch follows prior staking initiatives, including an institutional fund by Laser Digital and a network upgrade reducing NEAR inflation from 5% to 2.4%.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has sold his holdings in Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Near Protocol (NEAR), citing high energy prices from the Middle East conflict, three upcoming 'mega AI IPOs' by Q3 2026, and expectations that President Trump will turn 'anti-AI' to aid Republicans in midterm elections. Hayes stated it was 'time to take profit,' reversing his previous bullish targets of $150 for HYPE and a 20x rally for NEAR. Blockchain data platform Onchain Lens confirmed Hayes sold 247,334 HYPE for about $18 million and an undisclosed amount of NEAR. Following the news, HYPE fell 8.4% to $65 and NEAR dropped 17.4% to $2.34 in 24 hours. The sales come ahead of anticipated IPOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX, with OpenAI potentially going public as early as September. Some analysts worry these IPOs may drain liquidity from cryptocurrency markets.

Arthur Hayes, BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom CIO, announced he has sold his full positions in Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Near Protocol (NEAR) cryptocurrencies, citing macroeconomic factors and upcoming AI IPOs. He cited higher energy prices and inventory restocking as headwinds for risk assets, and noted three "mega" AI company IPOs scheduled by early Q3 that may drain crypto liquidity. Hayes also predicted President Trump may adopt an anti-AI stance ahead of US midterms, potentially impacting AI-focused projects like NEAR. The sale comes days after Hayes expressed bullish views on HYPE and NEAR in a podcast, leading to criticism and accusations of a pump-and-dump strategy from some X users. HYPE fell 8.3% and NEAR dropped 17.8% in the 24 hours following his announcement. Hayes plans to provide detailed explanations in an essay on June 9.

NEAR Protocol's token surged 15% in the past 24 hours to $2.8, doubling over the past month amid success from its cross-chain transaction system NEAR Intents, which has processed over $19 billion in cumulative volume and generated $32 million in fees. The rally gained further momentum after BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes called NEAR part of crypto's 'holy trinity.' Institutional demand is rising, with the Bitwise NEAR Staking ETP reaching $40 million in AUM. An upcoming June network upgrade introducing dynamic resharding aims to improve scalability.

NEAR Protocol's token surged 28% in 24 hours and nearly 45% over the past week, leading altcoin gains after the team announced three upgrades: confidential treasuries, AI prompt privacy, and automatic network scaling. The token outperformed Worldcoin and Venice Token as Bitcoin retraced. The upgrades include Confidential Treasuries for private on-chain multisig and payments, AI prompt anonymization via NEAR AI, and dynamic resharding to scale to 70+ shards. NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin linked the developments to the coming 'agentic market.' Despite the rally, sentiment remains cautious. Myriad users see only a 12% chance of altseason by July. Analysts note capital rotation into large-cap alts with strong narratives, but caution that price moves can outpace fundamentals.

Near Protocol's upcoming upgrade introduces dynamic resharding, allowing the network to automatically add shards as demand grows, eliminating the need for manual coordination and votes. This aims to fulfill Near's vision of high scalability. The upgrade also includes post-quantum-safe signing to protect against future quantum computing threats. The news drove NEAR token up over 27% in 24 hours to $2.25, making it the top performer among the top 100 cryptocurrencies. Additional support came from strong inflows into the Bitwise Near Staking ETF in Europe, which attracted $7 million this week.

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.