NEAR Protocol

About NEAR Protocol

NEAR Protocol is a high-performance, AI-native blockchain platform designed to power decentralized applications and intelligent agents. It aims to provide the infrastructure AI needs to transact, operate, and interact across Web2 and Web3. The protocol combines three core elements: User-Owned AI, which ensures agents act in users' best interests; Intents and Chain Abstraction, which eliminate blockchain complexity for seamless, goal-driven transactions across chains; and a sharded blockchain architecture that delivers scalability, speed, and low-cost execution. This integrated stack is intended to make NEAR the foundation for building secure, user-owned, AI-native applications at internet scale.

• NEAR Protocol is categorized as an AI-native blockchain, focusing on integrating artificial intelligence with decentralized applications.
• It uses a sharded blockchain architecture to achieve scalability and low-cost execution.
• NEAR is part of the Near Protocol Ecosystem and is classified as a Layer 1 (L1) smart contract platform.
• The protocol is designed to eliminate blockchain complexity through chain abstraction, enabling goal-driven transactions across multiple chains.
• NEAR has been labeled as an alleged SEC security and is held in FTX and Alameda Research portfolios.