What could affect the price of NEAR?
NEAR’s price outlook is shaped by changes in its token supply rules, growing use of AI technology, and overall market mood.
- Inflation Cut Vote – Validators need to approve (66.67% required) a plan to cut annual inflation in half to 2.5%, expected by late Q3 2025.
- AI Integration Growth – Partnerships with IQ AI, Bitwise ETP, and the use of Shade Agents boost NEAR’s real-world applications.
- Technical Signals – Positive momentum shown by MACD and RSI at 60.09, but price faces resistance at $2.74.
Deep Dive
1. Tokenomics Overhaul (Positive for Price)
What’s happening: NEAR’s community is voting on a proposal to reduce the yearly inflation rate from 5% to 2.5%. This requires two-thirds approval from validators and, if passed, would take effect by late Q3 2025. The change means fewer new tokens entering the market, which could make NEAR more scarce over time. Supporters like Electric Capital and Dragonfly believe this scarcity will help increase NEAR’s value. Meanwhile, Meta Pool plans to adjust staking rewards to keep incentives attractive despite the lower inflation.
Why it matters: Lower inflation means less selling pressure from validators who earn tokens as rewards. History shows that when supply growth slows but demand stays steady or grows, prices tend to rise. For example, Ethereum’s EIP-1559 upgrade helped its price by controlling supply.
2. AI Ecosystem Growth (Positive for Price)
What’s happening: NEAR is expanding its AI capabilities with tools like Shade Agents—autonomous AI contracts—and partnerships such as IQ AI’s Agent Development Kit. These developments have driven over $570 million in transaction volume. Bitwise’s NEAR Staking ETP, managing $12 billion in assets, and BitGo’s stablecoin support are bringing more institutional investors into the ecosystem.
Why it matters: Growing AI use attracts developers and big investors, similar to what happened with tokens like TAO during 2023–2024. NEAR’s 16 million weekly active users, which is more than Solana’s, show strong demand for its products.
3. Technical & Market Risks (Mixed Outlook)
What’s happening: NEAR’s price is above its 30-day moving average ($2.55) and shows bullish signals like MACD divergence. However, it faces resistance at $2.74 (a key Fibonacci level), and daily price swings are quite volatile (4.48%). The overall crypto market sentiment is neutral (Fear & Greed Index at 52), and high derivatives activity ($890 billion open interest) could lead to sudden price moves.
Why it matters: Short-term price depends on how strong the altcoin market is (Altcoin Season Index at 73, up 69% monthly). If NEAR falls below $2.60 support, it might drop further to $2.41.
Conclusion
NEAR’s outlook for late 2025 depends heavily on whether validators approve the inflation cut and how well AI adoption continues to grow. A successful vote and steady AI-driven activity could push prices back toward $3.05, the August high. But macroeconomic challenges or delays in upgrades could cause setbacks. Keep an eye on the September 15 validator vote results and NEAR Intents’ transaction volumes for clues on what’s next.
What is the latest news about NEAR?
NEAR Protocol is balancing technical improvements with ecosystem growth while managing market ups and downs. Here are the latest highlights:
- Network Upgrade & Inflation Reduction (August 18, 2025) – Cut annual inflation in half to 2.5% to improve token value and encourage more users.
- AI & DeFi Growth (August 29, 2025) – Launched Nightshade 2.0 upgrade to support AI apps, driving over $570 million in transaction volume.
- Staking Rate Changes (September 1, 2025) – Lowered fixed staking rewards to 5.8% to reflect changing demand.
Deep Dive
1. Network Upgrade & Inflation Reduction (August 18, 2025)
Overview
On August 18, NEAR Protocol rolled out a major upgrade that cut its yearly token issuance from 5% down to 2.5%. This move aims to make the token more valuable over time and keep validators motivated. At the same time, weekly active users jumped to 16 million, surpassing Solana.
What this means
Lower inflation is generally good for NEAR because it makes tokens scarcer, which can increase their value, while still keeping the network secure. However, the success depends on continued user growth to balance out the smaller rewards for validators. (Bitget)
2. AI & DeFi Growth (August 29, 2025)
Overview
The Nightshade 2.0 upgrade went live, boosting NEAR’s capacity to 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) and making it a strong platform for AI-based decentralized apps (dApps). Projects like Shade Agent Sandbox let developers create AI agents that can be verified on the blockchain, contributing to over $570 million in cross-chain swaps through NEAR Intents.
What this means
This upgrade strengthens NEAR’s position in the growing AI infrastructure space. However, it faces tough competition from projects like Bittensor (TAO) and Ethereum’s Layer 2 solutions. NEAR’s price has risen 312% this year, showing strong optimism, but it faces resistance around $2.70 that traders are watching closely. (Bitget)
3. Staking Rate Changes (September 1, 2025)
Overview
Bitvavo adjusted NEAR’s fixed staking annual percentage yield (APY) down to 5.8% from 6% in August, and flex staking to 1.9%, reflecting shifts in demand. Currently, over $1.2 billion worth of NEAR tokens are staked.
What this means
Lower staking rewards might make it less attractive for everyday investors but suggest that larger institutions are accumulating NEAR. Despite recent price swings, liquidity remains solid with a turnover rate of 4.3%. (Bitvavo)
Conclusion
NEAR Protocol is carefully balancing technical upgrades (like AI and DeFi improvements), economic health (through inflation cuts), and market accessibility (via staking changes). Its growing user base and institutional interest are positive signs, but the key question remains: can NEAR turn these technical advances into lasting adoption in a market dominated by Ethereum?
What is expected in the development of NEAR?
NEAR Protocol’s roadmap is focused on integrating AI, expanding cross-chain capabilities, and upgrading its technology.
- Sharding Phase 3 (2024) – Introducing dynamic sharding to scale based on demand.
- Inflation Rate Adjustment (Late Q3 2025) – A governance vote aims to lower token inflation.
- BTCFi Integration (Q3 2025) – Growing Bitcoin-based decentralized finance (DeFi) features.
Deep Dive
1. Sharding Phase 3 (2024)
Overview: According to NEAR’s 2023–2024 roadmap, Phase 3 will bring dynamic sharding. This means the network will automatically adjust the number of shards—smaller parts of the blockchain—based on how much demand there is. The goal is to keep the network fast (up to 100,000 transactions per second) while using resources efficiently.
What this means: This upgrade is positive for NEAR’s usefulness, especially for AI applications and apps that need to process many transactions quickly. However, because it’s technically complex, the full rollout might take longer than expected.
2. Inflation Rate Adjustment (Late Q3 2025)
Overview: There’s a proposal for NEAR’s community to vote on reducing the yearly token inflation from 5% down to 2.5% (source). Validators—those who help secure the network—are currently voting, with the change expected to take effect around late September 2025.
What this means: This is generally positive or neutral. Lower inflation could mean less selling pressure on the token, but it’s important to watch how this affects validator participation and staking rewards, which currently offer about 8% annual returns.
3. BTCFi Integration (Q3 2025)
Overview: NEAR plans to expand its Bitcoin-based DeFi ecosystem (called BTCFi) by using Chain Signatures. This will allow for cross-chain liquidity pools and transactions involving wrapped Bitcoin (source).
What this means: This could boost adoption by attracting Bitcoin holders to NEAR’s platform. However, success depends on providing a smooth user experience and ensuring strong security for the bridges that connect different blockchains.
Conclusion
NEAR’s roadmap combines important technical improvements like dynamic sharding with ecosystem growth efforts such as BTCFi and lowering inflation. The protocol is aiming to become a key platform for AI applications and cross-chain interactions. The big questions are whether reduced inflation and Bitcoin integration will spark increased interest from institutional investors.
What updates are there in the NEAR code base?
NEAR Protocol's latest software updates focus on making the network faster, easier to use across different blockchains, and more developer-friendly.
- Resharding V3 Upgrade (March 2025) – Improved how the network splits tasks to handle more transactions at once.
- GitHub Commit Surge (June 2025) – Over 950 code updates in six months, mainly improving cross-chain features.
- Stateless Validation (May 2025) – Lowered hardware requirements for validators while keeping the network secure.
Deep Dive
1. Resharding V3 Upgrade (March 2025)
What happened: NEAR increased the number of “shards” (think of shards as smaller parts of the network working in parallel) from 6 to 8. This helps the network process more transactions simultaneously. The update also improved how these shards communicate with each other. During the upgrade, nodes needed more memory temporarily (64GB RAM), but after the upgrade, they require less computing power overall.
Why it matters: This upgrade is good news for NEAR because it allows more users and apps to run smoothly without slowing down the network. Validators (the computers that keep the network running) had to upgrade their hardware briefly but will benefit from better efficiency in the long run. (Source)
2. GitHub Commit Surge (June 2025)
What happened: NEAR’s development team made over 950 code changes in six months, focusing on improving how the network handles sharding and making it easier to deploy smart contracts. They also enhanced tools that let NEAR work seamlessly with other blockchains, like Chain Signatures, which simplify cross-chain interactions.
Why it matters: A high number of code updates shows strong developer activity, which usually means the platform is improving and attracting more builders. This makes NEAR more appealing for developers creating apps that work across multiple blockchains. (Source)
3. Stateless Validation (May 2025)
What happened: Validators no longer need to store the entire blockchain history, reducing their hardware costs by about 40%. This change, part of the Nightshade 2.0 update, also increased transaction speed fourfold and led to over 280 new smart contracts being deployed daily after launch.
Why it matters: This update lowers the barrier for validators to participate, which can lead to a more decentralized and secure network. Users benefit from faster and cheaper transactions. However, the network still needs to prove it can handle the increased activity reliably. (Source)
Conclusion
NEAR Protocol’s recent updates focus on scaling the network, encouraging developer growth, and making participation easier. These improvements support NEAR’s goal to power AI-driven apps and high-traffic decentralized applications. The key question remains: will these upgrades lead to sustained growth as competition in the blockchain space heats up?
What are people saying about NEAR?
The NEAR Protocol community is divided between hopeful optimism and cautious patience. Here’s what’s currently happening:
- Traders debate the $2.80 resistance level – some see bullish signals, while others worry about broader market weakness
- Ecosystem growth attracts institutional interest – new partnerships and AI features are driving momentum
- Long-term price predictions vary widely – forecasts for 2030 range from $3 to $100
In-Depth Look
1. @UniChartz: NEAR’s downtrend continues 🐻
“NEAR has been stuck below its downtrend line since it was rejected at $8… dropping below $2.45 support could lead to further declines.”
– @UniChartz (58k followers · 412k impressions · 2025-08-27 19:20 UTC)
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What this means: Traders with a bearish outlook point to NEAR’s inability to break key resistance levels. If it falls below $2.22 support, it might retest the June low near $1.80.
2. @NEARProtocol: Ecosystem expands with cross-chain future 🚀
“NEAR Intents has surpassed $570 million in volume, with 1.2 million swaps and over 100 assets. The launch of Bitwise’s ETP and integration with Sui are broadening institutional access.”
– @NEARProtocol (1.2M followers · 2.8M impressions · 2025-07-30 19:54 UTC)
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What this means: Positive signs come from real-world use cases. Bitwise’s $12 billion in assets under management and growing cross-chain activity show NEAR is gaining traction beyond just speculative trading.
3. CoinCodex: Analysts split on 2030 price outlook 📈
“An investment of $1,000 in NEAR could grow to $25,600 (targeting $70.78 per token) or drop to $3.13 – high volatility means significant risk.”
– CoinCodex Analysis (2025-05-17 06:20 UTC)
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What this means: The wide range of predictions (a 44-fold difference between bearish and bullish cases) highlights uncertainty about NEAR’s future, especially how well it can balance token supply with user adoption.
Conclusion
The outlook for NEAR Protocol is mixed. Technical traders are watching critical levels near $2.80, while developers continue to roll out more than a dozen ecosystem upgrades each month. Keep an eye on the upcoming vote by validators to reduce inflation from 5% to 2.5%, expected in late September—this could impact the balance of supply and demand. For a deeper understanding, monitor weekly NEAR Intents volume alongside Bitcoin’s market dominance trends.
Why did the price of NEAR fall?
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) dropped 3.02% in the last 24 hours, underperforming the overall crypto market, which fell by 1.05%. Here’s why:
- Market pullback – The crypto fear/greed index is neutral at 51, with Bitcoin’s dominance increasing slightly.
- Lower staking rewards – NEAR’s fixed staking annual percentage yield (APY) on Bitvavo fell to 5.8%, compared to higher rates from competitors like LPT (32.8%) and ATOM (12.4%).
- Technical resistance – NEAR’s price hit a resistance level at $2.74 after gaining 10% over the week, leading to a price correction.
Deep Dive
1. Market Sentiment Shift (Negative Impact)
Overview:
The total cryptocurrency market value dropped 1.05% in 24 hours. Altcoins, including NEAR, underperformed Bitcoin, which saw its market share rise to 56.94%. This shift shows investors are becoming more cautious, with total crypto trading volume falling by 9.4%.
What this means:
Investors moved money into Bitcoin, seen as a safer asset during uncertain times, putting pressure on altcoins like NEAR. Although the Altcoin Season Index (72/100) indicates altcoins still have momentum, short-term price swings are expected.
2. Lower Staking Rewards (Negative Impact)
Overview:
On September 1, Bitvavo reduced NEAR’s fixed staking APY from 6% to 5.8%. Meanwhile, other coins like LPT and ATOM offer much higher staking returns of 32.8% and 12.4%, respectively.
What this means:
Lower staking rewards make NEAR less attractive for investors looking to earn passive income. Flexible staking rates also dropped to 1.9%, which might lead some yield-focused investors to sell their NEAR holdings.
3. Technical Resistance Test (Mixed Impact)
Overview:
NEAR’s price was pushed back at the $2.74 resistance level, a key technical point known as the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) cooled to 56.32 from overbought levels, indicating some traders took profits after a strong 10% weekly gain.
What this means:
Traders secured gains near this resistance. The next support level is at $2.59 (the 50% Fibonacci retracement). The MACD indicator (+0.041) suggests there’s still some buying interest.
What to watch:
If NEAR breaks above $2.74 and holds, it could spark renewed buying. But if it falls below $2.59, a deeper price drop may follow.
Conclusion
NEAR’s recent decline reflects cautious sentiment across the crypto market and competition from higher staking yields elsewhere. However, NEAR’s focus on AI-driven ecosystem upgrades, like the recent $570 million volume milestone from NEAR Intents, offers promising long-term growth (source).
Key points to watch: Bitcoin’s price movement and whether NEAR can maintain support at $2.59 over the next two days.