Overview of NEAR Protocol (NEAR)
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) is the native token of the first-level blockchain NEAR Protocol, launched in April 2020. The platform, founded by Ilya Polosukhin and Alexander Skidanov, uses sharding (Nightshade) and Proof-of-Stake (Doomslug) consensus to ensure high scalability, speed (up to 100,000 TPS), and low transaction fees. NEAR is positioned as an 'AI-native' blockchain supporting decentralized applications (dApps), smart contracts, and integration with Web2/Web3, including AI agents. Key features of the token:
- Transactions: Payment of fees for processing transactions and data storage.
- Staking: Used for validator operations through PoS.
- Governance: Voting in NEAR DAO for resource allocation of the network.
Key Features:
- Ecosystem: Support for dApps (HOT Game, Kai-Ching, Sweat Economy), integration with Solana, TON, Ethereum through Chain Signatures. TVL ~$218 million.
- Tokenomics: Maximum supply is unlimited, circulating ~1.24–1.25 billion NEAR, annual inflation 5% (90% to validators, 10% to protocol treasury). FDV ~$3.54 billion.
- Partnerships: Binance, Coinbase, OKX, Kraken, KuCoin (60+ exchanges, 80+ markets). Funding $33.7 million (Andreessen Horowitz, 2020).
- Metrics: ~3 million daily active users (2nd place among L1 after Solana), 8 million transactions per day, 80 TPS (peak 4,135 TPS).
- News:
- Listings: Bitwise NEAR Staking ETP (Deutsche Börse Xetra, July 2025), growth of 7.6%.
- Airdrop: Through CoinList for PublicAI (August 2025).
- Updates: Protocol Version 77 (global contracts, block optimization), AI Research Hub, integration with Privy (Google, Discord).
- Negative: Drop of 87.2% from ATH ($20.42, January 2022).
- Bullish Sentiment: 47–70% of posts on X are optimistic, 3 million active users (post @LennaertSnyder).
- Price (August 19, 2025): ~$2.58–$2.84 (USD), €2.36–€2.61 (EUR).
- Market Capitalization: ~$3.05–$3.54 billion (rank #30–35).
- Trading volume (24h): ~$125.8–$243.31 million, change -17.34% to +1.81%.
## Technical Analysis
- Current Situation: NEAR price has fallen 87.2% from ATH ($20.42, January 2022) and is trading at $2.58–$2.84, with a change of +0.45–1.81% over 24 hours and -7.55–16.01% over 7 days. On the daily chart, a descending channel, support at $2.38–$2.46, resistance at $2.90–$3.50. RSI in the neutral zone, a bounce is possible.
- Key Levels:
- Support: $2.38–$2.46 (50-day SMA, pivot level).
- Resistance: $2.90–$3.50 (Fib 0.618, 200-day SMA).
- Indicators:
- RSI (1D): ~39.55–55.58, neutral zone, bullish divergence.
- MACD: Bearish on daily (-0.0092, histogram +0.0368), neutral on 4H.
- SMA: Price above 50-day ($2.35), below 200-day ($3.50), neutral trend.
- Volumes: $125.8–$243.31 million, change -17.34% to +1.81%. Spike to $203.21 million (July 2025).
- Chart: Price is testing $2.58–$2.84. A breakout at $2.90 could raise the price to $3.50; a breakdown at $2.38 would strengthen the drop to $1.80. Use 4H/1D timeframes. See TradingView (NEAR/USDT).
## Fundamental Factors
- Positive:
- Ecosystem: TVL $218 million, 3 million active users, 8 million transactions per day, integrations with Solana, TON.
- Innovations: Nightshade sharding, Chain Signatures, AI Research Hub, support for JavaScript/Rust.
- Partnerships: Bitwise, Privy, CoinList, $33.7 million in investments.
- Market: Correlation with ETH (0.85) and SOL (0.75), bullish trend in AI/blockchains (CAGR 45%).
- Risks:
- Volatility: Drop of 87.2% from ATH, weekly decline -12.36%.
- Competition: Solana, Ethereum, Polkadot in L1.
- Tokenomics: 5% inflation per year, selling pressure from validators.
- Liquidity: Volumes ($125.8–$243.31 million) lower than top tokens, Fear & Greed Index 25–64 (fear–greed).
## Recommendations
- For traders: Buy on hold at $2.46 (target $2.90–$3.50, stop-loss $2.38). Sell on breakdown at $2.38 (target $1.80). Use 4H/1D timeframes, monitor volumes and news about AI/Chain Signatures.
- For investors: Growth potential is linked to the AI trend and scalability (CAGR 45%), but volatility and competition require caution. Watch for news on TVL and new dApps.
- Monitoring: Keep an eye on X (@NEARProtocol, @LennaertSnyder, @IQAICOM), TradingView (NEAR/USDT), CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap, Binance Square.
Contract: NEAR Protocol: (native token, no address required, check on CoinGecko).
Forecasts for 2025 (from web sources):
- Bullish: $5.29–$16.88 (Coinpedia, DigitalCoinPrice, CoinLore).
- Moderate: $2.42–$4.65 (Changelly, PricePrediction).
- Bearish: $0.50–$2.20 (CCN, TradersUnion).
Forecasts for 2030:
- Bullish: $24–$113.66 (Changelly, CoinLore).
- Moderate: $11.08–$43.54 (CryptoNewsZ, PricePrediction).
- Bearish: $1.20–$3.55 (CCN, TradersUnion).