NEAR Protocol

Quantum-focused blockchain Quantus has launched trading for its QTC token through near.com and Near Intents, giving users access to more than 180 assets across over 30 chains without first sending funds to a centralized exchange. Quantus Opens QTC Trading Across 30+ Chains Quantus is taking an unusual route to market.

Quantum-Safe Quantus Launches QTC Token Trading via Near Intents

NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin said users no longer need centralized exchanges for "a lot" of crypto activity.

NEAR's Polosukhin sees shrinking need for centralized exchanges as onchain tools expand

Near Intents said the roughly $3.8 million drained in an exploit on Thursday was returned in full, a day after the team said it had identified the attacker and gave them 48 hours to return the funds.

'We Have Identified You, Sir': Near Intents Recovers $3.8 Million After 48-Hour Ultimatum

Bitcoin

This week's stories spanned institutional forecasts, security failures and new crypto products. Citi raised its 12-month bitcoin target to $113,000 and projected $5 billion in crypto fund inflows. NEAR Intents disclosed a $3.8 million exploit, while Zano rewound its chain by 30 days after more than $200 million in illicit token minting.

Citi Calls For Much Higher BTC, NEAR ETF Goes Live, And More – Weekly Recap

Hacks are never good, but a rapid response, user compensation and 1-hour bug fixing seems to top the spectrum of team reactions.

Morning Minute: NEAR Intents Hacked for $3.8M - Was It A Bullish Hack?

The popular cross-chain trading system said it will reimburse losses after a bug affected deposits and withdrawals across several networks.

NEAR Intents hit by $3.8 million exploit as crypto's rough year of hacks continues

NEAR Intents patched the contract flaw, but deposits and withdrawals on 11 networks remain disrupted.

NEAR Intents halts services after $3.8 million exploit, promises full compensation

NEAR Intents halted services after a bug involving its Omni deposit and withdrawal infrastructure led to an estimated $3.8 million loss. The team says every dollar will be compensated, but onchain investigator ZachXBT reported the stolen funds moved almost immediately, first toward Kucoin and then across the bridge into Bitcoin.

NEAR Intents Bug Sends $3.8M Racing Across Crypto Networks

Bitwise's NRR began trading on NYSE Arca Tuesday, giving brokerage accounts NEAR exposure and staking rewards as the AI-focused token soars.

Bitwise Launches First US Spot Near ETF After Token Nearly Triples Since August

Bitwise has launched a U.S.-listed NEAR ETF offering spot exposure to the token alongside staking rewards of roughly 5%. The fund gives traditional investors a new way to bet on the intersection of crypto infrastructure and the emerging AI-agent economy.

Bitwise Launches NEAR ETF With 5% Yield and an AI Bet

Bitwise's NRR is the first U.S. NEAR ETP, charging a 0.75% fee and staking its NEAR in-house, with rewards flowing to shareholders via NAV.

Bitwise launches first US spot NEAR ETF with staking rewards

Following Bitget's $387.5 million hack, attackers attempted to move more than $50 million through Near Intents, but its SHIELD security system detected the activity and prevented most of the attempted transfers. Just $166,000 slipped through, while another $503,000 was frozen mid-execution.

Near Intents Slams Door on $50M in Bitget Hack Laundering Flows

Zcash

Bitcoin extended a slow climb through the Asian session while regional equities and U.S. stock futures rose on progress in trade talks between Washington and Beijing.

Bitcoin rises above $81,000, while NEAR jumps 23% on Zcash swap traffic

Bitcoin is testing its largest supply cluster alongside the key 50-week moving average.

Bitcoin tests its largest supply wall at $80,000, near ETF holders' average price

Worldcoin 

Hyperliquid

Onchain investigator ZachXBT accused BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes of turning his own audience into “exit liquidity,” saying Hayes most recently promoted Worldcoin token (WLD) and then sold it shortly afterward, capping a roughly 15-day stretch in which he exited four publicly hyped positions.

Zcash to Worldcoin: ZachXBT Says Arthur Hayes Turned 4 Token Calls Into ‘Exit Liquidity'

Two of the crypto market's hottest recent rallies have fully unwound, with Near Protocol's NEAR and the Worldcoin token WLD round-tripping to their pre-rally levels, even as Zcash's ZEC rebounded roughly 18% in 24 hours following a near-50% crash.

Hype-Driven Rallies Unwind: NEAR and WLD Round-Trip as Zcash Rebounds 18% From Its 50% Drop

Arthur Hayes sold his entire Hyperliquid and NEAR (CRYPTO: NEAR) positions on Thursday, just three days after placing a $100,000 charitable bet that HYPE would outperform every top 10 crypto by year-end. Hayes Cites AI IPOs, Iran War, and Trump Midterm Pivot Hayes outlined his reasoning on X, pointing to four macro factors that changed his near-term view.

Arthur Hayes Bet $100,000 HYPE Beats Bitcoin, Solana, XRP: Why Did He Sell It All Three Days Later?

Hayes faced backlash from social media users after selling the tokens days after publicly touting them.

Arthur Hayes sells entire HYPE and NEAR positions, citing AI IPOs and US midterms

The rally is fueled by NEAR Intents, the cross-chain system that has processed over $19 billion in volume and generated $32 million in fees.

NEAR price rally gains momentum as cross-chain product activity fuels further 15% jump

NEAR Protocol traded around $2.41 Sunday, up roughly 54% over seven days and 13% in the past 24 hours, as a short squeeze, artificial intelligence (AI)-sector rotation, and a chain abstraction product story converged at the same time. NEAR Surges as AI Narrative and Cow Swap Integration Draw Traders The most immediate driver was mechanical.

NEAR Protocol Jumps 54% Weekly as Short Sellers Cover and AI Rotation Accelerates

The prominent crypto investor Arthur Hayes described NEAR, HYPE and ZEC as “the holy trinity” of altcoins.

NEAR token jumps 30% amid AI hype, Arthur Hayes endorsement and scaling plans

The NEAR token jumped 30% to an intraday high of $2.25, marking a 70% increase since the start of May and briefly pushing its market capitalization past $2.9 billion.

NEAR Jumps 30% as $36M Bitwise ETP Adds Weight to AI Token Thesis

Internet Computer (ICP), up 4.3% from Thursday, joined NEAR Protocol (NEAR) as a top performer.

CoinDesk 20 performance update: NEAR surges 19.4% as index trades flat

NEAR rallied by 45% this week on a series of upgrades positioning it as a potential settlement layer for AI agents and confidential finance.

NEAR Protocol Jumps 28% on Privacy, AI, and Scaling Upgrades

Near Protocol will introduce dynamic resharding in June, allowing the blockchain to automatically add shards as demand grows without human intervention.

News for NEAR Protocol Crypto (NEAR)