NEAR is back in the market spotlight after a new forecast from Arthur Hayes. The BitMEX co-founder stated that the Near Protocol token could see 20x growth by 2027, citing the development of private transfers and infrastructure for AI agents as the key reason for this scenario.
The market reacted quickly. Since Hayes began publicly highlighting NEAR among his main bets, the token has already grown by more than 90%. Now, some traders are trying to figure out if the project can really follow the path of Zcash and Hyperliquid.
Hayes Bets on Privacy and AI
Hayes’s main idea centers around NEAR Intents technology. According to him, it can solve one of the old problems of the crypto market — the difficulty of using private assets between different blockchains.
Currently, users have to work with bridges, multiple wallets, and fragmented liquidity. NEAR Intents should simplify this process and allow AI agents to automatically move assets between networks.
Hayes considers interaction with Zcash especially important. He stated that through NEAR, users will be able to use private ZEC transfers in the broader crypto economy, not just within a single network. In his opinion, this is what makes Near Protocol a potential infrastructure winner of the new cycle.
Zcash Becomes Part of a New Market Story
Interest in privacy coins surged after ZEC’s massive rally. Over the past year, Zcash has gained more than 1,000%, unexpectedly bringing the topic of confidential transactions back to the center of the crypto market’s attention.
Hayes believes the market is starting to reassess the importance of privacy in the era of AI, on-chain trading, and increasing capital movement controls.
Against this backdrop, NEAR could get its own growth driver — not as a typical L1 blockchain, but as infrastructure for moving private assets between networks.
According to Hayes, Zcash still has about 5x growth potential, while he estimates NEAR’s possible upside at 20x.
The Market Closely Watches Hayes’s Signals
Arthur Hayes’s statements have long become a separate market factor. His comments often trigger powerful speculative moves, especially in the altcoin segment.
A similar situation occurred with Zcash in 2025. At that time, Hayes publicly named ZEC as one of his key positions and began actively writing about the asset’s potential growth. In the following weeks, the token gained more than 350%.
In May 2026, Hayes already highlighted the ‘holy trinity’ of the current cycle: HYPE, ZEC, and NEAR. After that, the market began actively reallocating capital into these assets.
NEAR Starts to Mirror the Previous Bull Cycle Structure
The technical picture is also increasing traders’ interest. Analysts note that NEAR’s current movement is starting to resemble the structure of 2023–2024.
At that time, the token recovered from the $0.91–0.99 zone, after which it grew by about 250%. Now, the market has again seen a bounce from this area.
The technical signal of a golden cross is also strengthening — a situation where the short-term average rises above the long-term one. Many traders see this as an early sign of a long-term trend reversal.
Against this backdrop, the RSI has already risen to extreme values around 88, indicating very aggressive demand.
The Market’s Next Target: The $4 Zone
Currently, the most important level for NEAR is the area around $3.38–4.00. Previously, it served as strong support, but now it could become key resistance.
If the market can hold above $4, the technical structure will start to resemble the 2023–2024 scenario even more. In that case, some traders may indeed start discussing a move toward $9–10 during 2026.
But risks remain high. After such rapid growth, the market becomes vulnerable to a deep correction.
A Sharp Drop Is Also Possible
Despite strong momentum, analysts warn that NEAR is in an overheated zone. If buyers cannot break through resistance around $4, the market may quickly move to profit-taking.
In this scenario, the token could roll back to the 50-day and 200-day EMA. The potential drop from current levels is estimated at about 45%.
This is especially important given that a significant part of the current growth is based on expectations of future AI infrastructure development and private transfers, not just current network metrics.
NEAR Tries to Find a New Role in the Market
Just a year ago, Near Protocol was seen mainly as one of many L1 blockchains. Now, the project is trying to fit into several strong narratives at once — AI, privacy, cross-chain transfers, and automated on-chain operations.
If this strategy works, NEAR could indeed gain a new audience and more sustainable demand from infrastructure projects.
Especially as the market gradually shifts from simple token trading to building full-fledged on-chain financial systems.
What Comes Next?
In the coming weeks, the market will closely watch two things: whether NEAR can maintain its current momentum and whether interest in private assets like Zcash continues.
For now, NEAR remains one of the most discussed altcoins of recent weeks. But after nearly 90% growth, the market is extremely sensitive to profit-taking and any deterioration in overall crypto sentiment.
If the AI and private transfer sector continues to attract capital, Near Protocol could cement itself among the main infrastructure stories of the new cycle. But if interest in these narratives starts to fade, the market will quickly remember the high volatility of altcoins.
Read More: SpaceX Received a $2.29 Billion Contract From the US: Which 10 Assets Could Benefit
