Should You Buy NEAR Protocol in 2025?

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At HelloSafe, our expert has been closely monitoring the development of the NEAR Protocol cryptocurrency for over three years. Every month, hundreds of thousands of users in Singapore rely on us to analyze market trends and identify the best investment opportunities. Our analyses are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. In line with our ethical charter, HelloSafe has never purchased NEAR Protocol nor received any compensation from entities associated with its ecosystem.

NEAR Protocol in brief

How much does 1 NEAR Protocol cost?

The price of NEAR Protocol is up this week. As of today, NEAR trades at approximately S$3.29, with a 24-hour increase of +5.1% and a weekly performance showing volatility between S$3.12 and S$3.39. NEAR’s market capitalization stands around S$4.00 billion, with an average 3-month daily trading volume of S$132–147 million, ranking it 27th among all cryptocurrencies. There are currently about 1.22 billion NEAR tokens in circulation, giving it a market dominance of roughly 0.21%. As with most digital assets, NEAR’s price can fluctuate sharply, offering both opportunities and risks for investors in Singapore.

Our full review of the NEAR Protocol cryptocurrency

Have the latest on-chain indicators, technical patterns, and competitive positioning given NEAR Protocol a renewed edge? Our proprietary analysis algorithms have synthesized on-chain analytics, technical signals, market data, and the evolving sector landscape to capture the full scope of NEAR’s transformation over the last three years. So, why could NEAR Protocol once again emerge in 2025 as a strategic entry point within the future-proofed AI-blockchain ecosystem?

Recent Performance and Market Context

Price Evolution and Recent Milestones

NEAR Protocol has registered a price of $2.43 USD (as of June 8, 2025), with recent intraday moves posting a +5.10% jump, and a volatile yet resilient $2.30–$2.50 range over the past week. This pattern encapsulates a period of technical retracement after a multi-month cycle fluctuating between $2.32 and $5.41, underscoring both NEAR’s beta-rich profile and its ability to maintain price traction amid broader sector rotations.

Noteworthy Q1 2025 milestones—including the deployment of Nearcore 2.6 with global contract functionality, and founder Illia Polosukhin’s keynote at Nvidia’s GTC—express the accelerating institutional and developer-focused momentum. The launch of NEAR’s AI R&D lab and a high-visibility roadmap to 1 million TPS by year-end further reinforce confidence in NEAR’s ability to deliver on both scalability and next-generation use cases.

Macroeconomic Climate and Sector Dynamics

The macro backdrop remains supportive for smart contract Layer 1s. Liquidity conditions are structurally robust, with major cryptos and tech-oriented tokens experiencing persistent capital inflows. Singapore, as a forward-thinking fintech hub, has cultivated a regulation-friendly environment that recognizes Web3 and AI innovation, lending extra credibility to projects with strong compliance, institutional-grade governance, and deep technical moats—attributes strongly aligned with NEAR Protocol’s current trajectory.

Technical Analysis

On-Chain & Price Indicators

• RSI (14-day): Hovering at 35.2–51.0, NEAR currently sits in a neutral-to-mildly bearish zone. Bearish exhaustion signals near the $2.40 level are emerging, hinting at potential bottoming and increasing reversal probability.
• MACD: The technical setup shows recent bearish momentum, but with signs of deceleration and a possible impending crossover, specifically as price action consolidates around historic support.
• Moving Averages: Despite near-term price action staying below the 200-day moving average (which traditionally signals short-term downtrend continuity), recent support holds at $2.20–$2.40 indicate sellers are losing dominance. This confluence raises the possibility of a pronounced mean reversion and “value zone” for medium-term entries.

Support, Resistance & Momentum

• Key Technical Support: $2.20–$2.40—previous sell-offs have reliably attracted buying interest, suggesting strong institutional bidding at these levels.
• Major Resistance: $2.50–$3.00—a breakout above this zone could generate cascading momentum, with prior cycles showing 40%+ upside potential on technical reversals.
• Momentum: The structure now reflects a classic contrarian setup. With technical exhaustion and depressed positioning, NEAR could transition into an accumulation phase favorable for agile investors seeking asymmetric upside through the next innovation cycle.

Fundamental Analysis

Strategic Adoption and Ecosystem Strength

• Developer Adoption: Nearcore’s upgrade has fostered global smart contract compatibility, attracting high-caliber developer teams—particularly in AI, DeFi, and chain abstraction.
• Partnerships & Roadmap Delivery: The launch of the AI R&D lab not only demonstrates NEAR’s commitment to integrating large language model capabilities but also underscores its leadership’s credibility (notably co-founder Polosukhin’s role in co-designing Google’s Transformer architecture).
• Ecosystem Expansion: Strategic investments in user-owned AI, interoperable wallets, and cross-chain working groups have driven new use cases—fueling incremental transaction demand and revenue potential.

Valuation Metrics and Market Position

• Valuation: NEAR’s market capitalization stands robust at $2.95–2.97 billion USD. Relative to projected revenues, ecosystem size, and innovation leadership, its risk-reward profile remains highly attractive versus its Layer 1 peers.
• Staking & Yield: With a staking APY near 9.43%, NEAR offers yield-seeking investors a highly competitive alternative—not from dividends, but from decentralized, inflation-derived rewards.
• Volume & Liquidity: 24h trading volumes consistently between $90.96m and $101.37m reveal robust liquidity and strong secondary market confidence—a hallmark of healthy token demand.
• Dominance: NEAR continuously ranks among the top market capitalizations, securing its position as an essential infrastructure layer and a foundational DeFi/NFT platform.

Structural Differentiators

• AI & Chain Abstraction: NEAR’s pivot into AI-powered smart contracts and chain abstraction technologies gives it a differentiation edge—uniquely targeting “user-owned AI”, cross-chain composability, and frictionless developer onboarding.
• Community & Governance: The NEAR Foundation’s governance ensures institutional standards, transparent development, and high responsiveness to regulatory evolution.
• Technical Scalability: The 2025 1M TPS target, although ambitious, exemplifies an appetite for innovation and positions NEAR as a credible challenger to entrenched blockchains in both transaction capacity and network effects.

Trade Volume and Market Confidence

• High Turnover: Daily trading volume above $90m indicates vibrant exchange activity, confirming persistent investor interest and market-maker participation.
• Liquidity Impact: Ample liquidity ensures tighter spreads and low slippage for institutional order flow, supporting tactical and strategic allocation even at scale.

Catalysts and Positive Outlook

Forthcoming Catalysts

• Imminent Protocol Upgrades: The planned chain abstraction and AI integrations in H2 2025 can shift narrative and fundamentals dramatically.
• TPS Target Achievement: Reaching the 1M TPS goal would be a watershed event, instantly broadening NEAR’s competitive set and unlocking a new wave of on-chain applications.
• Ecosystem Growth: Expect widening adoption in DeFi, NFT, and AI verticals—with venture support likely to accelerate following positive technical pivots.
• Regulatory Tailwinds: Supportive policies in Singapore and across APAC could catalyze institutional inflows, especially for Layer 1 assets focused on AI and scalability.
• Institutional Attention: NEAR’s event appearances and track record of milestone delivery have already drawn higher-profile investors and partners—higher future flows seem probable as innovation milestones are checked off.

Investment Strategies by Horizon

Short-Term (<1 year)

• Recent price retracement toward strong support zones creates potential for tactically timed entries, especially on weakness near $2.20–$2.40.
• Anticipate volatility around major protocol updates or roadmap events; opportunistic buyers can leverage short-term reversals for rapid swing trades.
• Momentum shifts from technical exhaustion can produce sharp catch-up rallies in mean-reversion scenarios.

Medium-Term (1–3 years)

• As core upgrades and AI integrations go live, NEAR could benefit from compounding adoption cycles and narrative re-rating.
• Strategic positioning before the completion of the 1M TPS milestone or ecosystem launches places investors in an advantageous spot ahead of institutional inflows.
• Medium-term holders may capture staking rewards (9.43% APY) while benefiting from both capital appreciation and yield.

Long-Term (>3 years)

• NEAR’s aggressive innovation in chain abstraction, AI, and cross-chain composability aligns with the next decade’s technological megatrends.
• The protocol’s developer-first ethos and credible leadership support long-term compounding value—potential to emerge as a dominant Layer 1 as the smart contract and AI arenas converge.
• Early allocation ahead of full AI-blockchain convergence could offer significant asymmetric returns for conviction investors.

Projected NEAR Protocol Price Table

Is Now the Right Moment to Consider NEAR Protocol?

Summing up, NEAR Protocol currently displays a confluence of technical resilience, high liquidity, and deep fundamental innovation. Its relentless pace of ecosystem development—anchored by AI-driven applications, user-owned compute initiatives, and protocol-level scalability—creates a compelling case for renewed investor attention. The protocol stands distinctly apart through its chain abstraction strategies and next-generation smart contract capabilities, while its staking yield and robust governance provide further incentive for institutional and individual engagement.

Recent price action has driven NEAR into historically significant value zones, making the risk/reward setup particularly inviting for well-positioned entries amid sector-wide innovation rotation. Forward-looking projections remain optimistic, with protocol upgrades, expanding adoption, and ecosystem-led growth serving as clear catalysts for potential outperformance.

Important Investment Note

NEAR Protocol remains a high-volatility digital asset with outstanding dynamic investment potential, warranting rigorous risk management. Yet, its recent technical set-up and proven innovation roadmap underscore a genuine opportunity for investors seeking exposure to a fundamentally sound, future-focused Layer 1. For those who favor strategic entries amidst landscape shifts, NEAR Protocol’s upcoming milestones and supportive market positioning strongly justify renewed consideration at this juncture—the coming upgrade cycle could set the stage for a powerful new growth phase.

How to buy NEAR Protocol?

It is simple and secure to buy NEAR Protocol (NEAR) online in Singapore using a licensed digital asset platform. Investors typically have two main choices: purchasing NEAR tokens outright (“spot” buying, where you own the coins in a wallet) or trading NEAR via crypto Contracts for Difference (CFDs), where you speculate on price changes without directly holding the tokens. Both methods are available on regulated platforms integrated with SGD or USD funding. For a detailed comparison of the pros, cons, and fees of leading platforms, you can refer to the comparison table further down this page.

Spot Purchase of NEAR Protocol

Spot buying NEAR Protocol means you actually acquire the NEAR tokens, which are then held in your exchange account or personal crypto wallet. You fully own the asset, allowing you to withdraw, transfer, or stake it to earn potential rewards. On regulated Singapore exchanges, fees usually include a fixed percentage commission per transaction (often around 0.5%–1.0%), plus minor charges for SGD/USD deposits or withdrawals.

Example

Suppose the price of NEAR Protocol is $2.43 USD (about S$3.30 at current rates). With S$1,350 (roughly US$1,000), you could buy approximately 409 NEAR tokens (S$1,350 / S$3.30 = 409), accounting for a S$7 fixed transaction fee (about 0.5%).
If NEAR Protocol rises by 10%, your portfolio would now be worth S$1,485.
Result: A gain of S$135 (+10%) on your capital, minus transaction costs.

Trading NEAR via CFD

Trading NEAR using Contracts for Difference (CFDs) does not provide you with real NEAR tokens. Instead, you open a trading position that rises or falls with the price of NEAR, often using leverage to magnify your exposure. CFD platforms charge a “spread” (the difference between buying and selling prices), and if you keep positions open overnight, a daily financing fee applies.

Example

You deposit S$1,350 and open a NEAR CFD with 5x leverage. This means your market exposure is S$6,750.
If NEAR Protocol climbs by 8%, your position would rise by 8% x 5 = 40%, netting a S$540 gain on your initial S$1,350 (before fees and overnight charges).

Final Guidance

Always compare transaction fees, spreads, deposit costs, and risk disclosures of each platform before investing. The right method—buying NEAR tokens or trading CFDs—depends on your investment goals and level of experience. For help choosing, check our platform comparison lower on this page to find the most suitable and cost-effective solution as a Singapore investor.

Our 7 tips for buying NEAR Protocol

The latest news from the NEAR Protocol

NEAR Protocol recorded a notable 24-hour price surge of +5.10%, with trading stabilizing between $2.30 and $2.50 this week. This price stability and modest rally are particularly significant in the context of a broadly volatile crypto sector. For Singapore-based investors and institutions, such positive momentum may serve as a confidence signal, especially considering NEAR remains listed and actively traded on major global crypto exchanges that are also accessible in Singapore, including Binance and Coinbase. Trading volumes in excess of $90 million highlight continued liquidity and institutional interest, a relevant factor for local trading desks and market makers based in Singapore’s regulated environment.

The launch of NEAR’s AI-focused R&D lab and its publicized roadmap toward 1 million transactions per second by year-end 2025 underscore its innovation leadership. This strategic pivot toward AI-driven applications and chain abstraction has strong resonance with Southeast Asia’s push for AI integration and digital transformation, a policy objective strongly supported by Singapore’s state-linked tech innovation agencies. The ecosystem’s expansion into user-owned AI and the deep technical pedigree of co-founder Illia Polosukhin (notably, transformer architecture co-creator) positions NEAR Protocol as an attractive platform for local tech startups, enterprise blockchain pilot programs, and institutional AI research partnerships.

Major technical upgrades, including the deployment of Nearcore 2.6 and enhanced global contract support, have kept the protocol on track for its ambitious roadmap. Achievement of planned development milestones reassures investors about operational execution, and strengthens the blockchain’s infrastructure appeal for regional developers in Singapore seeking scalable, interoperable, and high-performance networks. This reliability in upgrade rollouts has also allowed NEAR to maintain engagement with its community of stakers and yield-seeking crypto holders, who benefit from a notable 9.43% APY on staked tokens—a yield that stands out in a regional environment of historically low-interest rates.

Market sentiment towards NEAR Protocol remains cautiously optimistic, driven by technical innovation and an active governance structure under the NEAR Foundation. The presence of credible leadership and transparent management resonates well with Singapore-based family offices and compliance-conscious crypto funds, underpinning their due diligence priorities. Sentiment is further supported by the network’s competitive strengths, including scalable blockchain design and AI integration, which are key deciding factors for institutional and enterprise adoption in a highly competitive Layer 1 landscape.

Singaporean residents face clear and actionable guidance regarding NEAR Protocol’s regulatory and tax treatment, with staking rewards taxed as income and trades subject to capital gains tax. This clarity reduces legal and reporting uncertainties for both retail and professional investors, while NEAR’s availability via regulated global exchanges used in Singapore ensures compliance with local AML/KYC rules. The protocol’s strong recent performance, innovation cadence, and alignment with Singapore’s strategic tech interests collectively reinforce its relevance and appeal within the country’s crypto investment ecosystem.

FAQ

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.