TOKEN SERIES: NEAR Protocol 

Key Takeaways

• NEAR is building the plumbing AI agents need to pay and transact across blockchains.
• Buying NEAR is exposure to agent infrastructure, not to an AI company.
• Forecast agentic transaction growth is huge, but the forecast is not revenue.

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond chatbots and productivity tools toward what is increasingly being called the “agentic economy”, a world where AI agents can independently find information, make decisions, purchase services and transact with other people, businesses and machines.

This creates a new infrastructure challenge: how do autonomous AI agents securely identify themselves, move money and transact across different digital networks?

How NEAR is positioning itself

NEAR Protocol is positioning itself to address this opportunity. Rather than competing solely to be another blockchain, NEAR is developing infrastructure designed to make transactions across different blockchains simpler. Its NEAR Intents technology allows users and applications to specify what they want to achieve while the underlying infrastructure handles much of the complexity of finding liquidity and executing the transaction.

For investors and customers interested in the AI opportunity, this creates an alternative way of gaining exposure. Buying NEAR does not mean buying an AI company or directly owning a portfolio of AI businesses. Instead, it provides exposure to a blockchain network whose potential value is increasingly tied to the infrastructure required for AI agents to operate economically.

What the agentic economy could look like

The opportunity becomes particularly interesting if AI agents begin conducting millions, or eventually, billions of transactions on behalf of users. Agents could potentially book travel, purchase software, trade digital assets, access data, pay other agents or settle transactions automatically. Each activity requires secure identity, payments and coordination.

The most striking current estimate comes from Juniper Research. It forecasts global agentic-commerce transactions rising from approximately 620 million in 2026 to 120 billion annually by 2031 (Agentic Commerce Market 2026-2031, figures reported 28 August 2026). That is more than 190× growth, equivalent to roughly a 187% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over five years. Juniper describes this as growth of more than 19,000%.

NEAR is also developing technology around AI agents, confidential computing and machine-to-machine payments, while expanding its connections with major blockchain ecosystems and tokenised financial assets. These developments suggest a broader ambition, becoming part of the financial infrastructure connecting humans, applications and autonomous AI agents.

What it means for investors

The investment case therefore rests on a simple proposition, “If AI becomes increasingly autonomous, the infrastructure enabling AI to transact could become as important as the AI applications themselves”.

NEAR remains a speculative crypto asset with substantial volatility and strong competition. A forecast of transaction volumes is also not a forecast of token demand, and network usage does not automatically accrue value to NEAR holders. However, its combination of blockchain interoperability, transaction infrastructure and AI-focused development makes it an interesting asset to monitor as the agentic economy develops.

Australian investors who want digital asset exposure alongside physical metals can hold it through Ainslie Crypto, under Ainslie’s multi-custodian model and swappable into physical bullion through Ainslie Bullion.

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This article is general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Always conduct your own research or consult a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.