NEAR Ecosystem Biweekly Digest #16
Stay updated on the latest happenings in the NEAR and Aurora ecosystems! This summary highlights the significant updates from the past two weeks, featuring key advancements, impactful partnerships, and innovative projects. Dive into the details to observe the ongoing evolution of the NEAR ecosystem.
NEAR Foundation’s Strategic Partnership with NEAT Protocol
The NEAR Foundation has partnered with NEAT Protocol, allocating a 1 million $NEAR token delegation to support AI applications. NEAT, a rollup protocol on NEAR, will use this funding to attract users by redistributing staking rewards to $NEAT holders. This initiative underscores NEAR Foundation’s commitment to advancing AI and blockchain integration, enhancing the ecosystem with innovative, cost-effective solutions. Read more about it in this article.
Grayscale Investments Introduces NEAR and Stacks Trusts
Grayscale Investments has launched two new crypto investment trusts: Grayscale® Near Trust and Grayscale® Stacks Trust. These trusts offer accredited investors diversified exposure to NEAR and STX tokens, reflecting the growing demand for varied crypto assets. The new products aim to address blockchain scalability challenges and foster greater adoption in the crypto ecosystem. Read more about it in this article.
NEAR Foundation Introduces *NEAR Name Tokens
NEAR Foundation, in partnership with D3, has launched *NEAR Name Tokens, offering multichain, cross-platform digital identities for web3. These tokens enable simplified wallet addresses, infrastructure identifiers, and usernames across various decentralized platforms. This initiative aims to enhance interoperability within the web3 ecosystem while maintaining a strong NEAR integration. Existing NEAR account holders will receive exclusive early access to their corresponding *NEAR Name Tokens before the public launch. Read more about it in this article.
NEAR Integration with Stargate V2
Stargate V2 now supports NEAR, enabling users to directly bridge native USDC from 15 chains to NEAR via Aurora, NEAR’s EVM. This upgrade offers lower fees, AI volume management, and Bridging as a Service, enhancing the user experience. Users can bridge through Aurora to NEAR in seconds without using a centralized exchange, and explore NEAR DeFi ecosystems like Ref Finance and Burrow Finance. To learn more about Stargate V2 and its deployment on NEAR via Aurora, see here.
In Summary, the NEAR ecosystem is advancing with key initiatives. The NEAR Foundation’s partnership with NEAT Protocol supports AI applications with a 1 million $NEAR delegation. Grayscale introduced NEAR and Stacks Trusts for diversified crypto exposure. *NEAR Name Tokens were launched for multichain digital identities, and Stargate V2 now enables direct USDC bridging via Aurora.
