Bitwise Predicts Big Gains for NEAR as AI Transaction Network

Bitwise, a US-based crypto asset management company that oversees $15 billion in assets, has shared its expectations for NEAR, an altcoin for which it submitted an ETF application to the SEC. In a recent report co-authored by Bitwise's Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan and others, three price targets were set for NEAR by 2030.

The company outlined three scenarios: bearish ($1.63), base ($155.8), and bullish ($562.8). The base scenario represents a 30x increase from the current price, while the bullish scenario is over 100 times higher.

Bitwise's model assumes that NEAR will evolve into a large transaction and payment network for AI agents by 2030. According to its projections, there will be 16.4 billion AI agents worldwide at this point, with approximately 2% (328 million) using the NEAR ecosystem.

The company predicts each AI agent will perform an average of 1,000 operations per year, with a transaction value of around $5. This would result in hundreds of billions of AI operations annually via the NEAR network, driving up the price to $155.8 under the base scenario.