NEAR Price Prediction: Why Near Protocol Could Hit $5 Soon

Highlights:

• Near Protocol is trending towards $3.35 multi-month resistance level
• Rally through this resistance could pave the way for a test of $5
• Upcoming upgrades and AI positioning are likely to drive the rally to $5

Near Protocol (NEAR) is one of the top cryptocurrency performers in the last 24 hours. In this period, NEAR has gained by 10.52% to trade at $3.23. This brings NEAR Protocol’s total gains for the week to 18%, outperforming most top 100 cryptocurrencies.

 Alongside the surging price, NEAR trading volumes have also shot up in the last 24 hours. They are currently up by 135.24% to stand at $675.95 million. This surge in trading volumes is a strong indicator that even as the price surges, the average investor is still bullish on NEAR and is betting that it is headed higher. The investor excitement around NEAR has a solid basis to it. 

Upcoming NEAR Network Upgrade Excites the Market

One of the key drivers of this rally is the upcoming network upgrade for the NEAR Protocol. NEAR is a cryptocurrency project that is focused heavily on fast-growing areas of the market, particularly AI. As such, the fact that the network is getting an upgrade that is set to enhance efficiency and usability is exciting the market. The upgrade is set to take place on September 23, which means there is a strong chance that NEAR keeps going up until the upgrade happens. 

There is also the fact that the upgrade is supported by some of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. For instance, Binance has announced that it will support the upgrade and will pause all NEAR deposits and withdrawals at the time of the upgrade. However, trading will go on as normal, which means that a surge in speculative interest during the upgrade could trigger a parabolic price rally for NEAR. With many other exchanges also expected to support the network upgrade, the convergence of FOMO supports a rally that could dwarf most other cryptocurrencies.

Nice to see Binance supporting NEAR's upgrade. Reminds me of @shawnm_invests talking about how important network improvements are for long-term growth. https://t.co/PbyDUY3dyt

— ElmoHendrix (@ElmoHendri81259) September 19, 2025

Near Protocol Strong AI Ambitions Adding to Demand

Aside from the excitement around the upgrade, Near Protocol on-chain metrics show that adoption is on the rise. The team behind the Near Protocol is also quite ambitious, something that excites traders and investors in the cryptocurrency market.

One of the exciting ambitions of the Near Protocol team is to enable the building of fully decentralized artificial intelligence agents on the network. To make this ambition become reality, the Near Protocol team has announced the creation of a $20 million fund that will go towards the facilitation of AI agents and the development of AI-centered DeFi and gaming applications. The money will also be used in the scaling of the network to handle all kinds of AI work, no matter how heavy

Bitwise just dropped a wild target, $NEAR at $155.85

If @NEARProtocol nails its roadmap, it could become the hub for AI agents, intent routing, and automated transactions

This isnt just speculation, its a glimpse into the future thats getting closer every day right? pic.twitter.com/XkWSo307yB

— Renksi (@renksieth) September 18, 2025

Considering that AI is a growth market, investors could keep piling into NEAR to take advantage of this fast-growing market. The result is that NEAR, which is already gaining upside momentum, could surge to even higher levels. 

The network adoption figures already point to this surging growth. Data shows that in the last couple of months, Near Protocol has seen a surge in daily active addresses to the 10s of millions. The total value in DeFi for Near Protocol has also surged, and as of August 2025, stood at around $154.7 million. Upcoming upgrades will likely push these numbers higher, which could also drive NEAR’s price up over time.

Technical Analysis – NEAR Trending Towards Multi-Month Resistance

NEAR is currently in an uptrend and is pushing towards the $3.35 multi-month resistance. If bulls sustain momentum and NEAR rallies through the $3.35 resistance, the price could hit prices as high as $5 in the short term. 

On the other hand, if bears take control and there is a slight correction, the target would likely be the $2.62 support. Of these two scenarios, a rally through the $3.35 resistance seems more likely due to a confluence of bullish factors around NEAR.