NEAR emerged as the top-performing AI crypto token with a 24.52% surge, driven by expanding trading activity and confidential infrastructure growth. Its confidential total value locked surpassed $70 million, triggering the first milestone snapshot under an incentive program that allocated 333,333 tokens. These tokens remain locked until NEAR’s three-day volume-weighted average price reaches at least $3.33. Spot volume rose 131.81% to $1.63 billion, while large whale orders and aggressive taker buying supported the rally. Derivatives open interest climbed 39.54% to $924.66 million. The price broke above $2.820 and hit $3.461, with technical indicators pointing toward a potential $4 target.
NEAR surged 24.52% as activity expanded across trading markets and its confidential infrastructure. The confidential TVL recently surpassed $70 million, triggering the network’s first milestone snapshot under its incentive program. That program allocated 333,333 milestone tokens, reinforcing participation surrounding the Confidential Intents ecosystem.
These tokens are to remain locked until NEAR’s three-day volume-weighted average price reaches at least $3.33. NEAR’s price climbed beyond the $3.33 threshold during the expansion, but eligibility requires its three-day VWAP to remain at least $3.33 before unlocking.
Beyond incentives, the protocol’s Confidential Intents supported private execution across more than 30 connected blockchains. NEAR also linked Intents with autonomous-agent infrastructure for asset transfers and cross-chain payments. The token’s AI utility expanded further through staking-based computing credits covering 43 AI models. Spot volume surged 131.81% to $1.63 billion, suggesting broader market participation behind the most recent price increase.
CryptoQuant’s Spot Average Order Size registered Big Whale Orders, indicating larger transactions. The 90-day Spot Taker CVD remained Taker Buy Dominant, showing aggressive buyers controlled executed spot activity during the rally. Whale-sized orders alone did not prove accumulation, but the Taker Buy Dominant reading provided stronger evidence that active demand accompanied those trades.
By contrast, NEAR’s derivatives market expanded sharply. Open Interest rose 39.54% to $924.66 million, and derivatives volume surged 101.79% to $1.85 billion. The expansion could support continuation while buyers defended the breakout, though elevated leverage also increased liquidation risk if NEAR reversed sharply.
During its price uptrend, NEAR broke decisively above the $2.820 level, extending its recovery beyond a resistance level that previously rejected further advance. Price subsequently hit the $3.461 level, bringing the higher-timeframe Fair Value Gap between $3.65 and $4.20 into immediate focus, placing $4.00 inside the target region. Directional strength intensified with the ADX reaching 55.6278, while +DI at 50.3812 overwhelmed -DI at 4.1701. The Parabolic SAR indicator at $2.297 remained below the prevailing market price, reinforcing the development of bullish technical structure. NEAR could extend deeper into the FVG if bulls maintain control above the $2.820 zone, while rejection from the imbalance could send the price toward the breakout zone before another recovery attempt.
