Here's what I found out about NEAR coin ¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵:

*What is NEAR Protocol?*

NEAR Protocol is a layer-one blockchain that was designed as a community-run cloud computing platform. It eliminates some of the limitations that have been bogging competing blockchains, such as low transaction speeds, low throughput and poor interoperability.

*Key Features:*

- It is a decentralized application that runs on a proof-of-stake layer-one blockchain.

- It uses human-readable account names, unlike the cryptographic wallet addresses common to Ethereum.

- It has its own consensus mechanism called “Doomslug” and introduces unique solutions to scaling problems.

- The NEAR Protocol technology, Nightshade, was designed for faster transactions, lower costs, and higher transaction volume.

- Nightshade splits the blockchains into smaller sub-chains, each with its own validators to process transactions more efficiently.

- It focuses on user-friendliness with its human-readable account names and building apps using Web 2.0 programming languages like Javascript.

*Market Performance:*

- The price of NEAR Protocol has increased by 0.11% in the last hour and decreased by 3.71% in the past 24 hours.

- NEAR Protocol’s price has also risen by 26.51% in the past week.

- The current price is $5.45 per NEAR with a 24-hour trading volume of $415.61M.

- Currently, NEAR Protocol is valued at 73.25% below its all time high of $20.37.

*Where to Buy:*

- The most popular exchange to buy and trade NEAR Protocol is Binance.

- Other popular options include Coinbase Exchange and HTX.$NEAR