NEAR investment thesis: user-owned AI, chain abstraction and low inflation
Thread836 words
Bullish call$NEAR−7.4%since this piece, moved against the callHow it played out ↓Long thread laying out the author's NEAR thesis: AI infrastructure, Chain Signatures, high network activity, Nightshade 2.0 and a fixed 5% inflation with near fully diluted supply. Cites onchain activity share and FDV versus Solana and Tron.
Key claims
NEAR at $5.25 equals a $6.4B FDV
NEAR accounted for 21.7% of active addresses and 9.7% of tx volume over 30 days
Fixed 5% annual inflation with an almost fully diluted supply
Last October, I bought $NEAR at. $0.99.
One year later, I'm up >400% on my $NEAR bag (my $ETH up 80%).
You can do it too, and if we enter a full-blown bull, probably add a 0 or two to the % return I made on $NEAR.
How? Build a thesis and have conviction. 🧵 ⤵️ t.co/vU8H43Xg53
1/ At the time of writing, $NEAR is above $5.25, having recovered well from the recent dump.
That equals an FDV of $6.4B.
Still heavily undervalued imo, which is why I will continue to hold my bag into this next, more bullish phase in the market.
2/ My thesis for $NEAR is clear.
@NEARProtocol will power user-owned AI and enable novel monetization models for AI devs.
Its sharded high-performance blockchain will provide the programmable, economic infra that AI needs to engage in autonomous economic activity.
3/ @NEARProtocol is ahead of most other ecosystems on this front.
There is accelerator programs, funding opportunities with high-profile backers, and huge infra investments are being made.
AI is $NEAR.
x.com/zerokn0wledge_/status/1829099965353738303
4/ Led by $TAO and co, I expect the AI narrative to rip up and be re-valued significantly higher if we enter a bull in October.
As one of the most established and accessible plays in the sector, $NEAR could see some significant upside.
📊 Data from @CoinMarketCap
5/ Another hot topic is Chain Abstraction, a.k.a. solving UX fragmentation across chains towards the end user.
In the past months, dozens of protocols across all layers of the stack have collectively raised 100s of millions of $$$ to solve this problem.
@NEARProtocol does that too.
6/ Using Chain Signatures, users can leverage their $NEAR account to sign transaction across any chain.
This also ties in again with the vision for autonomous AI agents using @NEARProtocol as economic plumbing.
Allowing agents to transact across chains is powerful.
x.com/zerokn0wledge_/status/1815785310925844662
7/ Last but not least, @NEARProtocol is ALSO a high-performance execution layer that supports DeFi applications at scale.
With a native UX that is strong, even without the built-in Chain Abstraction features (that you don't find elsewhere).
8/ Stablecoin market cap has been displaying very healthy growth, which means more liquidity in the ecosystem.
TVL has also been growing consistently, with liquid $NEAR staking gaining traction.
📊 Data from @DefiLlama
9/ Some notable protocols in the ecosystem include:
➤ @burrow_finance (lending)
➤ @LinearProtocol (liquid staking)
➤ @meta_pool (liquid staking)
➤ @finance_ref (DEX)
➤ @TruFinProtocol (liquid staking)
➤ @allstake_fi (restaking)
➤ +++
As the ecosystem enters the next stage of growth, there might also be some interesting airdrop opportunities coming along. 🪂 🤫
📊 Data from @DefiLlama
10/ What few understand, is that @NEARProtocol is also one of the most actively used chains in all of crypto.
In the past 30 days, $NEAR accounted for:
➤ 21.7% of all active addresses
➤ 9.7% of overall tx volume
Only $SOL and $TRON have similar metrics to show for.
$SOL sits at an FDV of $89B.
$TRON sits at an FDV of $13B.
📊 Data from @artemis__xyz and @CoinMarketCap
11/ Aside infra the category (dominated by @here_wallet and HOT protocol), the main contributor to this activity is @CosmoseAI's Kai-Ching (shop to earn, popular in Asia).
📊 Data from @artemis__xyz
12/ Recently, @NEARProtocol also launched Nightshade 2.0 on mainnet.
The major upgrade introduces stateless validation and significantly improves shard and overall network performance.
$NEAR is future-proof.
x.com/zerokn0wledge_/status/1836821047762620615
13/ When making investment decisions, tokenomics always matter too.
A lot of people have been burned with low float / high FDV coins this cycle already.
While I see the performance of these new, shiny VC coins to improve as we enter a full-blown bull (some hyped launches will fly), most of these tokens with huge unlocks and high inflation rates are toxic holds if there is no greed in the market.
$NEAR is different. With a fixed annual inflation rate of 5% and an almost fully diluted supply, there is significantly less sell pressure.
When the hype hits, that allows $NEAR to rip hard (which it normally does).
📊 Data from @Token_Unlocks
14/ Finally, @NEARProtocol understands virality and the importance of maintaining mindshare.
In today's web3 landscape, the battle for attention is relentless.
Many teams build great tech but fail at marketing, which is why they simply don't matter.
While unconventional at times, @NEARProtocol is one of the few projects / tokens that everyone knows and follows.
Few understand how important that is.
x.com/NEARProtocol/status/1831439965722702185
15/ As you can see, I have a clear thesis.
This gives me the conviction I need to succeed.
For any investment I make, I have a vision and a plan (not just $NEAR).
If you just chase hypes for quick gains, you will fail.
⚠️ None of this is financial advice, it is solely meant to be educational and inspire you to DYOR.
That's a wrap! I hope you've found this $NEAR thread helpful! 🫡
Make sure to follow me @zerokn0wledge_ to stay ahead of the curve!
Like/Repost of the below post is also highly appreciated! 🙏👇
x.com/zerokn0wledge_/status/1838818196281004116
10 more images on X
How the call played out · since 25 Sep 2024
Prices as of 23 Oct 2026This piece takes a view on $NEAR, so that move is read against the call. Other assets it covers are shown as context, not as calls.
−7.4%
Moved against the call · over 2.1 years
- At publication
- $5.36
- Now
- $4.96
- vs BTC
- −27%
- After 1 month
- −12%
- After 3 months
- +3.5%
- After 1 year
- −44%
- High since
- +50% 07 Dec 2024
- Low since
- −82% 12 Feb 2026
Mentioned for context
Since then
Zero has written 29 more pieces on NEAR Protocol and $NEAR since this one.
- Quantum and post-quantum map: PQ crypto assets by readinessOn NEAR
- I Built a Research Desk Staffed Entirely by AI Agents. It Works.Covers $NEAR
- New vs returning wallets across Ethereum, Solana, NEAR, Polygon and SuiCovers $NEAR
- NEAR DCML explained: confidential, verifiable and monetizable AI via TEEsCovers $NEAR
Daily closes in USD from DefiLlama and Yahoo Finance. Only a bullish or bearish thesis is read as a call; explainers, maps and mentions are context. Not financial advice.