NEAR Protocol Sees 30% Price Surge Amid Upgrade and AI Expansion

NEAR Protocol has experienced a significant price surge, reaching nearly $2.26 on Friday after a 30% increase in value. This upward trend is notable, especially considering the overall decline of the cryptocurrency market during the same period.

The catalyst behind this price movement appears to be the anticipation surrounding the protocol's upcoming dynamic resharding upgrade scheduled for June 2026. This upgrade will allow the blockchain to automatically add shards as network demand increases, leading to enhanced scalability and transaction efficiency. According to NEAR team representatives, this development aligns with their long-term objective of becoming one of the world's most scalable blockchain networks.

Investor sentiment has also been positively influenced by rising inflows into the Bitwise NEAR Staking ETP, which offers regulated exposure to NEAR and staking rewards. The growing popularity of staking products has increased confidence in the ecosystem and attracted new market participants.

In addition to its network upgrade and AI expansion, NEAR Protocol is also introducing enhanced privacy tools and post-quantum signing technology aimed at protecting users from future quantum computing threats. Derivatives data further confirms the bullish momentum, with futures trading volume surging over 269% to $2.35 billion, while open interest climbed 63% to more than $630 million.