NEAR on Solana is Live: A Viral Collaboration Unfolds
Forget tribalism—the future is collaboration. In a move celebrated across Crypto Twitter, the NEAR token is now officially tradeable directly on the Solana blockchain. This groundbreaking integration, powered by NEAR on Solana via NEAR Intents and Orb Markets, marks a significant shift from competition to mutual growth. It all started with a viral social media moment, proving that in crypto, attention really is all you need.
How NEAR on Solana Actually Works
The technical magic happens through two key projects. NEAR Intents, a booming cross-chain protocol, facilitates the seamless movement of the asset. Meanwhile, Orb Markets—an innovative Solana explorer built by Helius Labs—enables the trading and visualization. You can now hold NEAR in a Solana wallet using the wrapped token address, with prices tracking the broader market.
Helius CEO Mert immediately celebrated, showcasing a single Solana wallet holding diverse assets like ZEC, SOL, NEAR, and even a McDonald’s stock token. This embodies the multi-chain future: unified access through a single, familiar interface.
The Viral Posts That Sparked the Movement
This integration didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was fueled by a powerful social media narrative. It began with Mert praising NEAR’s engineering team as “top 2-3 underrated in crypto,” drawing parallels between NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin and Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko.
The hype exploded when the official Solana account posted a now-iconic photo of Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Illia Polosukhin with the caption “Attention is All You Need”—a nod to Illia’s co-authorship of the seminal AI paper. This sparked a public conversation between founders, revealing a long-standing, respectful relationship and setting the stage for this technical partnership.
Why This Collaboration is a Big Deal
This is more than a simple bridge. It’s a symbolic end to pointless chain wars and a practical step toward an abstracted, user-centric future. Users no longer need to choose an ecosystem; they can access the best assets and applications natively from their wallet of choice. It demonstrates that leading Layer 1 blockchains can build together, strengthening the entire industry.
My Take
This is alpha in narrative and technology. The NEAR on Solana integration proves that developer relationships and community sentiment are powerful catalysts for real innovation. For investors, it strengthens the thesis for both ecosystems: NEAR gains access to Solana’s immense liquidity and user base, while Solana cements its role as the unified financial layer. This collaborative model is the new playbook.
