Key Highlights
- NEAR surged about 115% in May, becoming the top performer in Grayscale’s Crypto Sectors framework with strong trading volume
- The rally was driven by AI and privacy-focused tools, especially NEAR Intents, IronClaw, and Universal Send, which boosted real usage and adoption.
- Strong technical setup supported the rise, but RSI at 72 shows the market is getting overheated, meaning short-term profit-taking could happen.
NEAR Protocol surged about 115% in May, becoming the strongest performer in the Grayscales’s Crypto Sectors framework for the month.
The Head of Research Zach Pandl, in a report, said that this surge happened because the crypto market has started paying more attention to AI-related blockchain tools and privacy-focused systems.
The token shows strong price action throughout the month. Over the last 24 hours, it has gained a little over 10%, which adds up to about 18% in weekly gain. At the same time, trading volume also increased, crossing $850 million in 24-hour, which showed that more traders were entering the market while the price was moving up.
AI and Privacy as the main growth drivers
In his report, Pandl linked the rally to two major themes: AI integration and privacy-focused development. According to him, NEAR is getting stronger because it is building tools that sit at the meeting point of artificial intelligence and private blockchain use.
One of the main tools is NEAR Intents, which lets users simply state what they want to do, while the system figures out the steps and completes the transaction. Since its launch in early 2025, it has processed more than 25 million swaps worth nearly $20 billion.
He also pointed to new infrastructure built for private AI agents. A key part of this is IronClaw, an AI agent framework connected to NEAR’s private computing system. This allows AI agents to carry out tasks while keeping user data, login details, and activity private. The idea is to support AI systems that can work safely in real-world business environments without exposing sensitive information.
NEAR launches Universal Send
Meanwhile new surge comes as NEAR also launched a feature called Universal Send. According to the announcement on X, this feature allows users to send tokens across different blockchains in one simple step.
It enables transfers across blockchains using a single action that combines swapping, bridging, and settlement. The system routes transactions through third-party solvers that complete user-defined instructions on-chain. It also hides some transaction details on public records, which adds more privacy during transfer.
NEAR price reaches overbought level
The token’s chart shows a clearer story. NEAR is currently trading above its short-term and long-term exponential moving averages, including the 10-day, 20-day, 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day levels. This shows that the upward trend stayed consistent across different time frames.
The 200-day average continued acting as a support zone during the upward trend. At the same time, indicators also showed strength in momentum, though short-term signals pointed to overheating conditions.
For instance, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently at 72. This is close to the overbought level, suggesting traders may start locking in profits after the rapid climb.
Also Read: Allora (ALLO) Surges Over 120% as Trading Volume Spikes
