NEAR Jumps 15% as Cross-Chain Volume Tops $19 Billion

Near Protocol, a layer-one blockchain built around sharding, is seeking to expand transaction capacity without sacrificing network performance. Its planned “dynamic sharding” system is designed to adjust capacity automatically as demand changes, positioning the network to support what the project describes as an AI-driven on-chain economy. The upgrade matters as blockchain developers compete to deliver scalable infrastructure for increasingly complex applications.

Near Protocol said it plans to introduce dynamic sharding in June, alongside post-quantum signature technology intended to protect the network against future security threats from quantum computing. The announcement fueled demand for NEAR, sending the token up nearly 30% in a single day and placing it among the strongest performers in a broader rally involving AI-linked crypto assets.

The CoinDesk 20, compiled by CoinDesk Indices, tracks a selection of major cryptocurrencies and serves as a gauge of the broader digital-asset market. NEAR Protocol significantly outperformed while the wider market moved only slightly, signaling that capital was concentrating in selected tokens and highlighting divergent performance among major assets.

CoinDesk’s weekend update showed the CoinDesk 20 rising 0.3%, led by a 12.4% surge in NEAR. Solana (SOL) gained 2.1%, while Polkadot (DOT) ranked last with a 7.3% decline. In a subsequent daily update, NEAR rose another 6.3% and continued to lead the index, though the available information did not specify the exact date.

NEAR Network has launched Confidential Intents, a private execution layer that uses private sharding to shield transaction activity before settlement. The architecture is designed to reduce exposure to maximal extractable value, or MEV, and sandwich attacks, in which traders exploit pending orders. The rollout matters because stronger execution privacy could make blockchain transactions more suitable for institutions concerned about information leakage and adverse price movement.

The launch fueled expectations that privacy-focused infrastructure could attract more institutional activity to the NEAR ecosystem. NEAR’s token rose as much as 17% on the launch day, outperforming the broader privacy-token sector, while its cumulative gain over the latest week reached 40%. The report did not disclose any confirmed institutional commitments, investment amounts or fund inflows tied directly to Confidential Intents.