Surging 115%, NEAR Sees Uptrend Fueled by Enhanced Anonymity Features and Artificial Intelligence Integration

A recent analysis by Grayscale's research team sheds light on the key drivers behind the remarkable surge in the value of the $NEAR token in May, which saw a staggering 115% increase. This upward trend propelled the token's value above $2.37, with its market capitalization reaching $3.08 billion.

The $NEAR Protocol has undergone significant transformations, particularly in its infrastructure to support AI agents and modifications to its tokenomics. These developments have been instrumental in the token's impressive performance. As of the latest data, the $NEAR token has experienced a substantial 77% growth over the past 30 days, with its current trading value hovering around $2.36 and a market capitalization of $3.06 billion. The daily trading volume has also witnessed a notable spike, reaching approximately $866 million.

Grayscale's report, released on May 29, highlights the crucial role that privacy and artificial intelligence have played in the token's strong showing in May. The researcher notes that the $NEAR token is poised to be a major player in AI agent commerce, which could further drive up its value. The $NEAR blockchain, launched in 2020, has seen a significant uptick in adoption following major updates to its network.

One notable development is the introduction of $NEAR Intents, a product that functions as an AI agent for transactions on the blockchain. Since its launch in 2025, $NEAR Intents has successfully executed over 25 million swaps, with a cumulative value of approximately $20 billion. Users can simply input their "intents," and the feature takes care of complex decisions behind the scenes.

Another significant development is IronClaw, a $NEAR AI agent framework that incorporates confidential inference infrastructure. This framework enables AI agents to securely execute tasks while maintaining the privacy of underlying data, credentials, and user activity. According to Grayscale's report, "AI agents require privacy tools as they become more deeply integrated into corporate workflows, and Near's IronClaw addresses this need."

The report also touches on the changes to $NEAR Protocol's tokenomics, which have improved the supply and demand balance for the cryptocurrency. In October 2025, the $NEAR community decided to reduce the network's inflation rate from 5% to 2.5%. Furthermore, in February 2026, the network introduced a new revenue model that distributes earnings in $NEAR tokens.

Grayscale's report concludes that the $NEAR Protocol is well-positioned to create the core infrastructure for agentic commerce, a platform that enables AI agents to seamlessly coordinate economic transactions while ensuring users maintain ownership of their data, assets, and identity. As the blockchain space continues to evolve, many networks are focusing on enhancing their AI-related services, such as agentic payments, and the $NEAR Protocol is at the forefront of this development.