Bitwise NEAR ETF begins trading on NYSE Arca. The fund gives investors exposure to NEAR through a US spot exchange-traded product. It trades under the ticker NRR.
Why the Bitwise NEAR ETF matters
The fund carries a 0.75% management fee. It will hold NEAR directly. Additionally, Bitwise intends to stake a significant portion of the fund’s tokens.
The launch comes as NEAR Intents activity has increased sharply. Specifically, volume rose to more than $32 billion. That compares with less than $1 billion a year ago.
Bitwise NEAR ETF launches as AI agents gain focus
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan spoke . He said the firm sees AI agents as a growing use case for NEAR. He added that Bitwise has already seen evidence of agents using the network. He expects that activity to increase over time. However, most activity on NEAR today remains human-driven.
Hougan added that Bitwise has worked on the US NEAR ETF since June 2025. That is when it launched its European NEAR exchange-traded product. NRR joins its US lineup of single-asset crypto products. These track Bitcoin (BITB), Ether (ETHW), Solana (BSOL), XRP (XRP), and Hyperliquid (BHYP).
The NEAR token has rallied sharply over the past month. It gained about 167% to trade around $4.94 on Tuesday. CoinGecko data confirms this. The token is up about 81% over the past year.
AI agents put crypto payment rails in focus
NEAR is a layer-1 blockchain for decentralized applications. It shifted its strategy toward AI in 2024. Since then, it has focused on cross-chain infrastructure and autonomous AI agents.
The shift comes as major financial institutions examine autonomous software. Last week, BlackRock said AI agents could increase demand for stablecoins. It also cited cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets. BlackRock described AI as a potential “structural catalyst” for digital asset adoption. It argued that programmable assets suit high-frequency, low-value transactions.
NEAR seeks to capture some of that activity through Intents. The system lets users and AI agents specify a desired transaction. Then third-party solvers compete to execute it across supported blockchains.
“The design of Intents aligns with the goal-based orientation of LLMs,” Hougan said. It also shields them from bridging challenges, he added. Hougan pointed to cross-chain usability as a key factor behind Intents’ growth.
“Bridging and cross-chain abstraction has been a challenge for crypto for nearly a decade,” he said. “A lot of people have lost both time and money trying to navigate that space.”
NEAR Intents blocks funds linked to Bitget hack
The protocol’s role in moving assets came into focus this week. NEAR Intents said it blocked more than $50 million in attempted transfers. These were linked to the $387.5 million Bitget hack. Its SHIELD system froze about $503,000 during execution. However, roughly $166,000 in suspected stolen funds passed through the protocol.
What comes next for the Bitwise NEAR ETF
The Bitwise NEAR ETF gives US investors regulated exposure to NEAR. Meanwhile, the token’s rally and Intents growth support the thesis. However, most network activity remains human-driven. Therefore, AI agent adoption will determine whether that changes. For now, the fund offers a new way to access the asset.
