What could affect the price of NEAR?
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) is facing a mix of positive and negative factors. Changes in its token supply rules and new technology developments could help, but there are also challenges ahead.
- Inflation Cut Vote – A proposal to cut NEAR’s inflation rate in half (from 5% to 2.5%) could slow down how many new tokens enter the market by late 2025.
- Solana Integration – NEAR’s connection with Solana blockchain aims to increase trading activity, but technical hurdles remain.
- AI Ecosystem Growth – New AI tools and partnerships are designed to attract more developers, though this hasn’t yet boosted NEAR’s price.
Deep Dive
1. Inflation Reduction Proposal (Positive Outlook)
What’s happening: The NEAR community is voting on a plan to reduce the yearly inflation rate from 5% to 2.5%. This needs approval from validators controlling at least two-thirds of the stake. If approved, it would take effect by late Q3 2025 and reduce new token issuance by about 64 million NEAR per year. Experts like Gauntlet and Electric Capital support this, saying it improves the token’s economics and works well with NEAR’s system that burns tokens from transaction fees.
Why it matters: Lower inflation means fewer new tokens flooding the market, which could reduce selling pressure from staking rewards (expected to drop to around 4–4.5% annual yield). This could help stabilize NEAR’s price over time. However, until the vote is finalized, some uncertainty remains. (NEAR Blog)
2. Solana Cross-Chain Momentum (Mixed Results)
What’s happening: Since December 18, 2025, NEAR has been connected to the Solana blockchain through Orb Markets, allowing users to swap tokens directly between the two networks. This has attracted about $839,000 in liquidity around the $2 price mark. However, NEAR’s price dropped to $1.52 after the launch, influenced by wider market weakness.
Why it matters: This cross-chain feature increases NEAR’s usefulness by making it easier to trade across blockchains. But technical resistance at $1.83 and a low Fear & Greed Index score (27 out of 100) suggest limited short-term price gains. For NEAR to break out, daily trading volume needs to stay above $150 million. (AMBCrypto)
3. AI and Developer Ecosystem (Positive Outlook)
What’s happening: NEAR is working on big goals for late 2025, including handling 1 million transactions per second and over $7 billion in cross-chain trading volume. It’s also launching AI-focused tools like the Shade Agent Sandbox and partnering with projects like Starknet and Frax to grow decentralized finance (DeFi) and AI-driven applications.
Why it matters: These developments could attract institutional investors and boost NEAR’s real-world use. However, NEAR’s price has dropped 51% in the last 90 days, and stronger on-chain activity (like daily active users above 300,000) is needed to confirm growth. (NEAR Protocol Tweet)
Conclusion
NEAR’s future price depends on the outcome of the inflation vote, how well it maintains cross-chain trading volume, and how quickly AI tools are adopted. While the inflation cut and new technology upgrades offer potential for growth, broader market challenges and price resistance between $1.80 and $2.00 create short-term risks.
Key metric to watch: Weekly cross-chain trading volume on NEAR Intents — if it stays above $1 billion, it could signal renewed demand and positive momentum.
What are people saying about NEAR?
The NEAR Protocol community is divided between strong long-term optimism and cautious technical analysis. Here’s what’s trending right now:
- “$20 by Q4 2026” – Supporters are excited about NEAR’s plans to integrate AI.
- “Undervalued Layer 1” – Developers highlight NEAR’s recent upgrades that improve speed and scalability.
- Price struggles around $1.52 – Traders are watching closely for a breakout above $2.80 or a drop below $1.30.
Deep Dive
1. @drylinemix: “$NEAR to $20 in 2026” 🔥
“I fully expect $NEAR to be above $20 by the fourth quarter of 2026... bullish on @NEARProtocol’s AI roadmap.”
– Tuskss.near (770 followers · 3.9K impressions · Dec 19, 2025, 2:31 PM UTC)
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What this means: Optimism is based on NEAR’s potential to become a key platform for AI applications, with developers expecting smart networks that can operate independently to increase demand.
2. @AntD1975: “Still buying the dip” 💎
“NEAR Protocol is undervalued. The price will catch up eventually.”
– Ants Pants (2.2K followers · 37.8K impressions · Dec 18, 2025, 6:36 AM UTC)
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What this means: Many investors focus on NEAR’s fast block times (600 milliseconds) and its ability to scale using 9 shards, but the price has fallen about 70% compared to last year, lagging behind these technical strengths.
3. @TronWeekly: “Solana integration fails to lift NEAR” 🚨
“NEAR dropped to $1.44 after launching the Solana bridge... traders are watching the $1.30 support level.”
– TWJ News (31.7K followers · Dec 20, 2025, 11:30 AM UTC)
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What this means: Short-term technical indicators are bearish, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 36 and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) suggesting more downward pressure.
Conclusion
The outlook on NEAR is mixed. Enthusiasm about AI integration and technical upgrades like Nightshade 2.0 (which benchmarks at 1 million transactions per second) is balanced by weak price performance. Cross-chain activity is strong, with $6.5 billion in volume year-to-date and 87 assets involved in 326,000 swaps through NEAR Intents. Traders are watching the $1.45 to $1.60 price range closely—if NEAR falls below this zone, automated sell programs could kick in. On the other hand, ongoing ecosystem growth might attract buyers looking for value.
What is the latest news about NEAR?
NEAR Protocol is facing some downward pressure but is making smart moves with new partnerships and AI technology. Here are the key updates:
- Solana Integration (December 20, 2025) – NEAR is now available on Solana through Orb Markets, making it easier to trade across different blockchains.
- Starknet Partnership (December 19, 2025) – NEAR users can now swap assets directly with over 25 other blockchains using Starknet, a technology linked to Ethereum.
- AI Cloud Launch (December 3, 2025) – NEAR introduced privacy-focused AI tools powered by Intel and NVIDIA, designed to keep user data secure.
Deep Dive
1. Solana Integration (December 20, 2025)
What happened: NEAR tokens can now be traded on Solana’s platform via Orb Markets. This means users can swap NEAR, SOL, and other tokens directly within Solana wallets like Phantom. This connection taps into Solana’s large market, valued at $1.23 trillion, making it easier to move assets between blockchains.
Why it matters: This is a positive step for NEAR because it opens up more ways to trade and could attract Solana’s community of developers and users. However, NEAR’s price is still struggling, currently at $1.52, down 9% over the past week. It needs to rise above $1.83 to show signs of recovery (CoinMarketCap).
2. Starknet Partnership (December 19, 2025)
What happened: NEAR has teamed up with Starknet, a technology built on Ethereum that helps make transactions faster and cheaper. This allows users to swap assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) directly on Starknet without complicated steps. More than 100 tokens are supported.
Why it matters: This improves NEAR’s ability to work with other blockchains, which is good for its future. But so far, the market hasn’t reacted strongly—NEAR’s price dropped nearly 9% last week, showing some hesitation (CoinJournal).
3. AI Cloud Launch (December 3, 2025)
What happened: NEAR introduced AI Cloud and Private Chat services that use Intel and NVIDIA’s secure computing technology. These tools help keep user data private while using AI applications. Companies like Brave and Phala Network are already using these tools.
Why it matters: This move positions NEAR in the growing AI space, which could be a big opportunity down the road. However, NEAR’s price is still about 70% below its peak in 2024, reflecting cautious investor sentiment (Coinspeaker).
Conclusion
NEAR is making important strides by connecting with other blockchains and investing in AI technology. These efforts show promise, but the token’s price will need to improve to convince investors. The big question for early 2026 is whether these new partnerships and innovations can help NEAR overcome current market challenges.
What is expected in the development of NEAR?
NEAR Protocol’s 2026 roadmap focuses on expanding cross-chain capabilities, integrating AI, and improving scalability.
- NEAR Intents Cross-Chain Expansion (2026) – Connecting with 10+ blockchains to enable easy asset swaps.
- Shade Agent Mainnet Launch (Q1 2026) – Launching AI-powered agents for decentralized finance (DeFi) and governance.
- Dynamic Sharding Phase 4 (2026) – Enhancing network speed and capacity to handle over 1 million transactions per second (TPS).
- Institutional Staking ETPs (H1 2026) – Partnering with major firms like Bitwise to offer regulated investment products.
Deep Dive
1. NEAR Intents Cross-Chain Expansion (2026)
Overview: NEAR Intents handled over $6 billion in transactions in 2025 (source). In 2026, it plans to connect with more than 10 blockchains, including Litecoin and Monad. This will allow users to swap digital assets across different blockchains without relying on traditional bridges, making multi-chain DeFi easier and more efficient.
What this means: This expansion could increase the use of NEAR Protocol by making it simpler to move assets across networks, potentially boosting demand for $NEAR tokens used to pay transaction fees. However, competition from similar protocols like UniswapX could impact its growth.
2. Shade Agent Mainnet Launch (Q1 2026)
Overview: The Shade Agent Sandbox, introduced in July 2025 (source), allows developers to create AI-driven agents that can perform tasks such as automated trading. The upcoming mainnet launch will enable these AI agents to operate securely and independently within DeFi platforms.
What this means: This feature could increase the usefulness of NEAR’s ecosystem by automating complex tasks. However, widespread adoption will depend on proving that these AI agents are safe and efficient compared to centralized alternatives.
3. Dynamic Sharding Phase 4 (2026)
Overview: Building on Phase 3’s improvements in 2024, Phase 4 aims to achieve sub-second transaction finality and support over 1 million TPS by improving how validators coordinate. This upgrade is essential for applications that require fast, real-time processing, such as online gaming.
What this means: This is a positive step toward making NEAR more scalable and competitive. However, any delays could give an edge to competitors like Solana, which are also focused on high-speed transactions.
4. Institutional Staking ETPs (H1 2026)
Overview: After launching a staking Exchange Traded Product (ETP) with Bitwise, which manages $12 billion in assets, NEAR plans to offer similar products with BlackRock and Fidelity. These products aim to provide regulated, yield-generating investment options.
What this means: This could improve liquidity and price stability for NEAR tokens. Success depends on avoiding centralization of staking power and maintaining attractive annual yields of 8-10%.
Conclusion
NEAR Protocol’s 2026 plans balance expanding its ecosystem through cross-chain and AI innovations with important technical upgrades like sharding. While these developments are promising, it’s important to watch how well NEAR maintains decentralization and how quickly AI agents gain traction. A key question remains: how will NEAR’s approach to “chain abstraction” compete with Ethereum’s established Layer 2 solutions?
What updates are there in the NEAR code base?
NEAR Protocol is making important updates to improve scalability, cross-chain compatibility, and support for AI technologies.
- Halving Upgrade (October 30, 2025) – Cut annual token inflation from 5% to 2.5% to strengthen the token’s value.
- Ledger Wallet Integration (November 30, 2025) – Enabled easy cross-chain swaps directly from Ledger hardware wallets on over 7.5 million devices.
- Nightshade 2.0 (Q3 2025) – Increased transaction capacity by four times through improved sharding technology.
Deep Dive
1. Halving Upgrade (October 30, 2025)
What happened: NEAR reduced the number of new tokens created each year by half, moving toward a deflationary model. This change was approved by more than 80% of network validators.
Node operators needed to update their software by November 29, 2025, to keep the network running smoothly.
Why it matters: Lower inflation means fewer new tokens flooding the market, which can increase scarcity and potentially raise the token’s value. It also encourages users to hold and participate in the network long-term. (Source)
2. Ledger Wallet Integration (November 30, 2025)
What happened: NEAR Intents became a built-in feature on Ledger hardware wallets, allowing users to swap tokens across different blockchains without complicated bridging steps. This required updates to the NEAR protocol to securely handle these cross-chain transactions on more than 20 blockchains.
Why it matters: This makes decentralized finance (DeFi) more accessible to everyday users by simplifying cross-chain trading. Since the integration, over $6 billion in swap volume has been processed, showing strong user adoption. (Source)
3. Nightshade 2.0 (Q3 2025)
What happened: The network increased its number of shards from 8 to 9, boosting transaction capacity by 12.5% without sacrificing decentralization. The upgrade also introduced stateless validation, lowering hardware demands for node operators. Developers rolled out Nearcore v2.8.0 with better performance and reduced delays.
Why it matters: While this upgrade improves the network’s ability to handle more transactions, its impact depends on actual demand. It also strengthens NEAR’s potential for combined AI and DeFi applications. (Source)
Conclusion
NEAR Protocol is focusing on building a scalable, cross-chain, and sustainable platform. The Halving upgrade improves token economics, Ledger integration simplifies cross-chain use, and Nightshade 2.0 boosts scalability. With over 950 developer commits in the past six months, the question remains: will this momentum lead to long-term growth in the NEAR ecosystem?
Why did the price of NEAR fall?
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) dropped 2.16% in the last 24 hours, underperforming the overall crypto market, which fell 2.58% over the past week. The main reasons behind this decline are:
- Technical breakdown – NEAR fell below a key support level at $1.83, triggering automated selling.
- Bearish market mood – The Fear/Greed Index is at 27, indicating fear, while Bitcoin’s market dominance rose to 58.96%.
- Failed price rally after Solana integration – Although NEAR launched on Solana through Orb Markets, the price gains quickly reversed.
Deep Dive
1. Technical Breakdown (Negative Impact)
What happened: On December 19–20, NEAR’s price dropped below $1.83, a critical support level that had previously helped the price bounce back. This break ended a period of steady price movement. Currently, NEAR is trading below important moving averages: the 7-day average at $1.55 and the 30-day average at $1.75.
Why it matters: Traders often see a drop below key support levels as a sign of weakness, which can trigger automatic sell orders and short-term panic selling. The Stochastic RSI, a tool that measures if an asset is oversold or overbought, is at 20, suggesting NEAR might be oversold and due for a bounce. However, for the price to regain strength, it needs to climb back above $1.83.
What to watch: If NEAR closes above $1.83, it could signal a short-term recovery. If it fails, the price might test the next support level around $1.41, which is the low point expected in 2025.
2. Altcoin Liquidity Crunch (Negative Impact)
What happened: Bitcoin’s dominance in the crypto market increased to 58.96%, up 0.3% in 24 hours. This means investors are moving money out of alternative cryptocurrencies (altcoins) like NEAR and into Bitcoin. NEAR’s trading volume dropped sharply by 58% to $103 million in the last day, making it harder to buy or sell without affecting the price.
Why it matters: Lower trading volume (liquidity) can cause bigger price swings during selloffs. The Altcoin Season Index, which measures whether altcoins or Bitcoin are favored, is at 15 out of 100, indicating a strong preference for Bitcoin right now.
3. Profit Taking After Solana Integration (Mixed Impact)
What happened: NEAR’s integration with Solana on December 19 initially pushed the price up to $1.56. However, the rally didn’t last as traders sold off near $2, where there were large sell orders totaling $839,000, according to CoinGlass data.
Why it matters: In bear markets, it’s common for prices to rise before a big announcement (“buy the rumor”) and then fall after the news is confirmed (“sell the news”). Despite the positive step of connecting with Solana, NEAR’s weak technical setup and overall market challenges limited further gains.
Conclusion
NEAR’s recent price drop is due to a combination of technical weaknesses, reduced liquidity in altcoins, and profit-taking following its Solana integration. While the asset looks oversold and might stabilize soon, the overall market fear and Bitcoin’s growing dominance continue to create headwinds.
What to watch: Can NEAR hold above $1.50, a key pivot point, and recover from its 51% loss over the past 90 days? Keep an eye on Bitcoin’s dominance and whether NEAR’s trading volume picks up again.