NEAR Protocol Experiences Surge Amid Institutional Interest and Strategic Collaborations

The NEAR Protocol has recently seen a significant surge in its market performance, primarily driven by increased institutional buying. On July 31, 2025, the protocol’s price recovered by 8% from a key support zone, moving from $2.52 to $2.73 within a 23-hour trading session. This uptick reflects growing confidence among institutional investors in NEAR’s potential, as reported by Coindesk and Cryptopanic. The increased buying activity has highlighted the impact of institutional interest on NEAR’s market dynamics, suggesting a positive shift that could lead to further gains.

Collaboration with Cardano Enhances Cross-Chain Capabilities

In a significant development, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson confirmed a collaboration with NEAR Protocol for the integration of ADA, Cardano’s native cryptocurrency, into NEAR Intents. This cross-chain execution layer aims to facilitate seamless token swaps without relying on centralized exchanges. The integration is expected to boost ADA’s interoperability, as noted by Cryptoknowmics. On-chain activity has revealed a new contract, hinting at the future cross-chain capabilities between Cardano and NEAR, as reported by Cryptopanic and Coindoo.

Rhea Finance Joins Bitget’s Innovation Zone

In another notable development, Bitget, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, has listed Rhea Finance (RHEA) in its Innovation Zone for spot trading. Rhea Finance, a decentralized liquidity hub on NEAR, emerged from the merger of Ref Finance and Burrow Finance. This addition aims to enhance NEAR Protocol’s DeFi ecosystem by enabling chain-abstracted liquidity with AI-powered, community-driven infrastructure. Both Coingape and Cryptopolitan highlighted this strategic move, emphasizing Rhea Finance’s role in unifying and expanding NEAR’s DeFi offerings.

Market Context and Performance

As of July 31, 2025, NEAR Protocol’s close price stood at $2.42008, with a market capitalization of approximately $3.02 billion. The protocol’s 52-week high was $8.2373, recorded on December 5, 2024, while its 52-week low was $1.80233, noted on June 21, 2025. Despite recent gains, NEAR’s performance is part of a broader market context where SUI has outpaced AVAX, NEAR, and HYPE in trading volume, although its price remains weak, as reported by Ambcrypto.

These developments underscore NEAR Protocol’s strategic positioning in the crypto market, driven by institutional interest and collaborative efforts to enhance cross-chain interoperability and DeFi capabilities.