The NEAR Protocol (NEAR) showed strength on Friday, rising 34% in the past 24 hours to $2.32, leading the AI-based token in a rally fueled by NEAR’s network upgrades and NVIDIA’s big revenue forecast.
NEAR is trading 50% higher than its price seven days ago and has gained a whopping 115% in the last 90 days.
Key conclusions:
- NEAR price surged 50% in seven days, hitting six-month highs as AI crypto tokens rallied on strong market momentum.
- NEAR protocol upgrades focused on artificial intelligence, privacy and scaling have boosted investor confidence and trading volume above $1 billion.
- A breakout from the multi-year wedge pattern puts $5.75 in focus if the NEAR clears resistance between $2.60 and $3.
NEAR price rises to six-month high
Data from TradingView shows that NEAR’s recovery began on Monday, climbing 58% to a six-month high of $2.34 from a low of $1.48 on Friday.
Accompanying the rise in NEAR’s price is a jump in trading volume, which has risen 190% to $1.15 billion over the past 24 hours, fueling buyer intensity.
NEAR/USD daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
Altcoins surge above $2.30 raised more than $9.85 million in short liquidations, as those who bet against the price were caught off guard.
The gains come later NEAR protocol published major upgrades focused on privacy, AI integration and network scaling.
Source: X/NEAR protocol
Aurora, an Ethereum-compatible scaling solution built on NEAR, as well announced updating your Aurora Intents Widget. The update integrated the ADI chain as a new entry point, enabling smooth cross-chain swaps, deposits and application flows for users.
Source: Aurora
These developments demonstrate ongoing technical progress within the NEAR protocol ecosystem, potentially increasing the demand for block space and the NEAR token.
NEAR price rises as AI tokens recover
NEAR is not the only AI token outperforming the crypto market today. Other cryptocurrencies in the AI sector witnessed impressive growth in the 24 hours, including Grass ( GRASS ), OpenServe ( SERVE ), and Artificial Superintelligence Alliance ( FET ), which rose over 27%, 21%, and 11%, respectively, on the day.
Performance of top AI tokens by market cap. Source: CoinMarketCap
It is noticeable that the rise of AI tokens is also accompanied increasing their total market value. The market capitalization of AI and big data crypto projects and tokens rose 8% in the last 24 hours to $21.44 billion at press time, reflecting renewed investor confidence in the sector.
AI and big data token market cap and volume. Source: CoinMarketCap
Momentum in the broader sector was fueled by positive signals from Nvidia’s AI dominance and revenue forecasts. Nvidia, which maintains an 81–90% share of the AI accelerator market, reported a whopping profit of approximately $81.6 billion in the first quarter of 2026 and increased its projected revenue opportunity by 2027 to $1 trillion.
Source: X/Cointelegraph
Historically, Nvidia’s events have fueled a strong rally in the price of NEAR, as seen in February when the altcoin jumped 58% following the company’s Q4 2025 earnings report.
How high can the NEAR price go?
NEAR’s latest rally has led to a breakout from a multi-year decline that has capped the price since late 2024.
The NEAR/USD pair is now facing strong resistance in the $2.60-$3.0 bid zone, where the major moving averages are located, as shown on the weekly chart below.
A break above this level would open the way to a measured wedge target at $5.75, roughly 160% above the current price. The relative strength index rose to 63, indicating increasing upward momentum.
NEAR/USD weekly chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
In X’s announcement on Tuesday, MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe he said NEAR shows “one of the most favorable charts” in the market, adding that the continuation was in question as long as it held $1.40 as support.
“The first real resistance zones for $NEAR are at $2 and $2.25-$2.50”, Van de Poppe he said in the next post on Thursday, adding “clearly rising,” with the next target near $2.75.
NEAR/USD daily chart. Source: X/Michael van de Poppe
