NEAR Protocol price rose 11% in the past 24 hours to trade near $3.20, logging one of the strongest daily moves among top Layer 1 blockchains. The token, which has gained more than 11% in the past 24 hours, now trades around $3.20 with trading volume surging 136% to $669 million.
As such, some traders predict a multi-fold rally that could push NEAR price toward $38 or even $40 in this cycle.
The broader market backdrop is also supportive. Bitcoin (BTC) is consolidating above $116,000 while Ethereum (ETH) hovers near $4,700, lending strength to altcoins.
NEAR Protocol Price Forecast: Analysts Call for $38–$40
Technical analysts argue that the Near Protocol price has finally cleared a crucial resistance area after months of sideways trading.
“Breaking crucial area, after successful breakout expecting 2x in coming days,” analyst World of Charts noted, pointing to an upside path toward the $3.40–$3.50 range in the short term.
Others are more ambitious. Popular trader Crypto NL described the breakout as “very bullish” and warned that the market may be underestimating NEAR’s potential.
His forecast: a surge first to $8, then an eventual rally toward $40 if momentum accelerates, which is about 1143% from current levels. “My prediction is $38 NEAR,” he posted to X.
In the near term, momentum indicators also suggest a bullish outlook for NEAR. The Near Protocol price is well above key moving averages, indicating a potential upward trend.
While short-term overbought conditions may cause pullbacks, the medium-term outlook remains positive as long as the $2.90 support zone holds.
On-Chain Strength and AI Narrative
On-chain metrics provide further validation. Daily active addresses on NEAR are holding steady at around three million, placing it second only to BNB Chain and ahead of Solana and Tron. That level of activity is notable, as it shows network usage is keeping pace with speculative flows.
Meanwhile, a deeper driver of optimism is NEAR’s growing alignment with the artificial intelligence narrative that has captivated crypto investors in 2025.
On September 16, NEAR announced an integration with Allora Network, which will add predictive AI capabilities to its Shade Agent infrastructure. The collaboration launches four competitions for AI engineers, spanning NEAR, Solana, Bitcoin, and Ethereum price prediction challenges.
By placing itself as the “execution layer for the AI economy,” NEAR is capturing developer interest while riding a sector trend that has pushed the combined AI token market cap to $26.4 billion, according to Bitget.
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