NEAR PROTOCOL today announced the launch of Near.com, a consumer-oriented “superapp” that integrates AI capabilities and a confidential transaction mode, aiming to simplify blockchain use and, above all, give a new boost to on-chain privacy. This launch comes amid a sustained increase in demand for new privacy features.
What Near.com Offers
Near.com combines a single wallet interface with a backend that allows AI agents to autonomously store assets, make decisions, and conduct transactions. NEAR executives described the product as eliminating typical blockchain frictions (gas management, key handling, and cross-chain complexity), so users and agents can operate from a single, comprehensive application. Illia Polosukhin, founder and CEO of NEAR AI, stated, “We are entering a world where AI is becoming our interface to computing.”
The platform also incorporates a confidential mode to conceal balances, transfers, and trading activity within the application’s security framework. This new application is one of the first of its kind, combining on-chain AI agents with a unique privacy layer in the crypto ecosystem.
How does it work?
Near.com runs on the NEAR Layer 1 stack and uses Rust and WebAssembly (WASM) for smart contract execution. This combination, according to NEAR, improves memory security, execution speed, and cross-platform portability for demanding AI workloads. NEAR AI previously launched NEAR AI Cloud and NEAR Private Chat in December 2025, which the company positions as complementary services for running models on sensitive hardware and providing encrypted interfaces to open-source AI models.
Therefore, the capabilities of this new super app combine 4 factors:
- Confidential mode: hides balances and trading activity within the network’s privacy framework
- AI economic agency: agents can own assets, make and execute payments
- NEAR AI Cloud: confidential compute environments with cryptographic proofs
- NEAR Private Chat: encrypted access to open‑source models without data reuse
What happened to the NEAR token?
NEAR’s approach positions the launch as a comprehensive strategy that combines user-owned AI and privacy, which could attract institutional adoption. Despite this, the platform’s native token, NEAR, has not seen positive price performance.
With the market in the red and BTC dragging all altcoins into its downward spiral, NEAR has fallen almost 3% in the last 24 hours. This brings its weekly decline to almost 8% and its 30-day drop to 34%.
