Key facts
- Bitwise projects NEAR Protocol could reach $155.85 by 2030 in its base case, and $562.81 in its maximum case.
- The forecast assumes NEAR becomes the settlement rail for 328 million autonomous AI agents by 2030.
- Bitwise filed its U.S. spot NEAR ETF, ticker NRR, with a 0.75% fee and 100% staking intent.
- NEAR Intents has already routed approximately $30 billion in cross-chain volume.
- Ondo has tokenized stocks including Tesla and NVIDIA on near.com, utilizing NEAR Intents.
- Confidential perps launched via Hyperliquid pushed NEAR's total value locked (TVL) above $207 million.
Bitwise has outlined ambitious price targets for NEAR Protocol, projecting a base case of $155.85 and a maximum case of $562.81 by 2030. This forecast is anchored to the expectation that NEAR will become the primary settlement layer for autonomous AI agents. The firm's analysis models 328 million agents utilizing the network by 2030, each conducting 1,000 transactions annually with an average value of $5, generating a 0.3% protocol fee for token holders. This scenario, combined with a 50x valuation multiple, yields the $155.85 base case. The maximum case compares NEAR to Visa's current payment volume, reaching $562.81.
This institutional outlook was released concurrently with Bitwise filing the final prospectus for its U.S. spot NEAR ETF, ticker NRR, intended for listing on NYSE Arca. The ETF will feature a 0.75% fee and a 100% staking intent, aiming to capitalize on the projected growth. NEAR Intents, an AI-agent marketplace, has already facilitated approximately $30 billion in cross-chain volume, providing a tangible proof of concept for Bitwise's thesis. Further ecosystem developments, such as Ondo tokenizing stocks on near.com and the launch of confidential perps on Hyperliquid, have boosted NEAR's total value locked (TVL) to over $207 million, contributing to a recent 70% weekly rally.
While the ETF offers Wall Street access to NEAR, potential risks include increased supply tightening due to staking rewards and inflows, as well as competition from other filings, such as Grayscale's competing NEAR ETF. Macro sentiment, including potential shifts in AI policy and US-China trade terms under a Trump administration, could also influence institutional allocation. Arthur Hayes has raised a counter-argument that AI agents might settle in compute-linked currencies instead of general-purpose Layer 1 tokens. The NEAR Foundation's $20 million AI agent fund aims to support ecosystem growth aligned with Bitwise's adoption curve.