Is This the Next Cryptocurrency to Go Mainstream?
Written by Dominic Basulto for The Motley Fool -> NEAR Protocol, which launched in 2020 as a competitor to Ethereum, is now making a pivot into AI. NEAR Protocol's blockchain technology could provide the core infrastructure needed for AI agent commerce. Amidst investor enthusi
NEAR Protocol, which launched in 2020 as a competitor to Ethereum, is now making a pivot into AI.
NEAR Protocol's blockchain technology could provide the core infrastructure needed for AI agent commerce.
Amidst investor enthusiasm for all things AI-related, NEAR Protocol is up 35% in 2026.
The outlook for the overall crypto market might be bleak right now, but there's one sector that's soaring in value. Yes, you might have guessed it, AI-related cryptocurrencies are having a moment.
Just as equity investors are bidding up the prices of AI stocks , crypto investors are bidding up the prices of AI cryptos. The one that just went absolutely ballistic is NEAR Protocol (CRYPTO: NEAR) . It shot up 115% in May, and is now the AI crypto with the highest market cap, valued at $2.7 billion.
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A pivot to AI has fueled NEAR's ascent. As digital asset investment firm Grayscale recently pointed out in a research report, NEAR is attempting to position its core blockchain technology as important infrastructure for the AI agent economy.
In short, NEAR Protocol aims to play a key role in the future development of agentic AI . It's also layering in a privacy element, so that these AI agents can be included in corporate workflows.
