# The NEAR price rallied to $2.26, while trading volume surged. *web3, genai · news · 2026-05-22 · CoinGape* ## Key points - NEAR Protocol's planned June upgrade will enable automatic sharding expansion to improve scalability. - Bitwise NEAR Staking ETP inflows contributed to increased investor interest in NEAR this week. - NEAR's trading volume reached over $1 billion in 24 hours amid heightened institutional and retail activity. - Open interest in NEAR futures jumped 63% to $630.23 million, signaling strong speculative demand. - Upcoming network changes include privacy improvements and post quantum signing for quantum computer resistance. NEAR Protocol price surged by 30% on Friday as traders reacted to fresh network upgrade plans and rising investor interest. The NEAR price rallied to $2.26, while trading volume surged. Bitcoin price also declined for the week, dropping from a recent high of approximately $82,000 to around $77,000. NEAR Protocol Price Explodes 30% — What’s Driving Rally? NEAR Protocol price was among the biggest altcoin gains of the day following significant development updates. The token has rallied by almost 45% over the last week, following a decent surge over the last few weeks. It saw a 24-hour trading volume exceeding $1 billion, suggesting increased activity among both retail and institutional investors. The rally was against a backdrop of sluggish overall cryptocurrency market. Additionally, investor interest surged following the Bitwise NEAR Staking ETP’s inflows. The product proposed an increase in the supply of regulated exposure to NEAR and its staking rewards. The product suggested increased exposure to NEAR and the staking rewards with regulation. Network Upgrade and AI Plans Boost Market Optimism The primary catalyst seems to be connected to a dynamic resharding upgrade for NEAR planned for the coming June. The upgrade will enable the blockchain to automatically add shards when network demand grows. This may enhance the scalability of the network without the need for manual effort from validators or developers, supporters say. According to the team behind NEAR, the switch is consistent with the company’s long-term plans for building a super scalable blockchain. The upgrade also aligns with NEAR’s broader vision on the development of AI-powered on-chain applications. They also recently referred to the improvements of privacy and post quantum signing capabilities. The changes aim to protect against future attack from quantum computers. NEAR Open Interest Climbs 63% Amid Strong Futures Market Activity The derivatives activity on NEAR Protocol saw major growth, with traders piling in on the latest market rally. There was strong speculative demand as volume increased 269.19% to $2.35 billion. Open interest also advanced, up 63.28% to $630.23 million, which indicates increased trading activity in futures markets. These gains in both metrics reflect increased confidence and potentially a higher level of risk if momentum slows down during next sessions for traders. NEAR Price Prediction: Will the Rally Continue This Week? The NEAR price jumped to $2.25 on Friday, following the remarkable breakout recorded on the four-hour chart. The condition of NEAR is overbought based on the RSI reading of 88.04. The CMF reading is 0.22, which indicates that positive money is flowing into the asset. NEAR Protocol is testing the upper portion of its breakout structure. The initial key level of resistance is around $2.50. A clean move above $2.50 may present the opportunity to $3.00 according to the NEAR long-range prediction. That is the next psychological and technical resistance for traders. The $2.10 zone is now the key support to watch. Buyers are able to retain control if NEAR remains above this level. If the pullback is more robust, then the token may head toward $1.90, a prior breakout level. If there is a rise in selling pressure, then that zone could see new demand. [Read the full story on CoinGape](https://coingape.com/markets/why-is-near-protocol-price-surging-30-today-may-22nd/) --- Canonical: https://newsio.io/n/e7e89d71-ac37-44a1-b8ec-d349422530f2/the-near-price-rallied-to-2-26-while-trading-volume-surged-bitcoin-price-also-de Summarized by Newsio from CoinGape. https://newsio.io/how-it-works