NEAR price rallies 70% in a week: what's driving the surge?

NEAR Protocol (NEAR) has rallied nearly 70% in the past week, with bulls retesting a key level amid a confluence of bullish factors.

Renewed interest in the token mirrors gains for several related coins, but what’s behind the buying momentum for NEAR?

Notably, a sharp uptick over the past 24 hours comes as Bitcoin swings within a tight range amid broader market headwinds.

NEAR price sees 70% rally

NEAR climbed to an intraday high of $2.82 on Tuesday, marking its highest level since early November 2025.

This surge from recent lows of $1.48, representing a near 70% bounce over the week, comes amid an expansion in daily trading volume.

Data from CoinGecko showed the 24‑hour trading volume up 68% to over US$1.2 billion (approx. $2 billion) at the time of writing.

Gains for NEAR mirror performances of leading AI coins and tokens, including RENDER and Artificial Superintelligence Alliance.

Worldcoin and Bittensor also surged as optimism across the AI sector cascaded across the ecosystem.

Recently, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes sounded out NEAR as one of the coins to watch, comments that have aligned with the explosive jump in the token’s value over the past two days.

But why else is this token rising?

NEAR Intents drives fresh growth

On‑chain analytics highlight a surge in NEAR Intents, a measure of transaction intent and activity tied to the network’s contract calls and transfers.

Data shows the NEAR Protocol intent-based architecture has officially processed over US$33 million (approx. $57.8 million) in fees since its initial launch.

NEAR Intents has processed over US$19 billion (approx. $33.3 billion) in volume and attracted more than 542,000 paying users.

Recent data indicates that intents are increasingly utilized by autonomous agents to execute complex, multi-step transactions with minimal slippage across the ecosystem.

Organic growth for the protocol has gained momentum from AI tools, including IronClaw.

Bulls take on NEAR bears - what's the outlook?

Analysts note that on-chain strength amid real economic activity and developer engagement could contribute to further price gains.

The technical picture supports this outlook on higher time frames, although broader risks remain.

On the bullish side, short‑term momentum favours buyers. The RSI on the weekly chart is at 69, just off the overbought territory to suggest room for another uptick.

Currently, the 50-week moving average provides dynamic support around $2.00, key for bulls if profit‑taking takes over in the coming sessions.

For longer‑term investors, continued adoption metrics and protocol developments could aid in the breakout above $3.05.

This mark aligns with the 100-week simple moving average and could allow for a retest of the 200-week EMA around $3.41. Bulls may eye the psychological $5.00 level next.

NEAR price has surged by over 93% in the past month, a scenario that highlights the bullish conviction.