Technology and benefits
$NEAR Protocol is a third-generation blockchain with a focus on scalability and ease of use. Its main feature is Nightshade Sharding, which allows the network to support thousands of transactions per second with low fees. The ecosystem is based on a developer-friendly interface that makes building decentralized applications (dApps) easier than going for coffee.
Who are the investors?
NEAR is supported by crypto heavyweights: a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and others. In other words, the project did not do without millions of dollars and the confidence of "uncles with big wallets."
Comparison with competitors
NEAR is trying to corner giants like Ethereum, Avalanche, and Solana. The main difference is higher speed and adaptability for developers, although competitors still have the advantage in terms of ecosystem size.
Ethereum: the father of DeFi, but its fees bite.
Solana$SOL : Similar to NEAR in speed, but with glitches and frequent network drops.
Avalanche$AVAX : A solid competitor, but without the innovations of Nightshade.
Forecast for 2025
NEAR could yield 4-7x the current price. Growth depends on the spread of DeFi and NFT solutions, which NEAR is actively integrating into its ecosystem.
Conclusion
NEAR is a fast, cheap and very promising blockchain. But will it be able to overtake its "older brothers"? The question is rhetorical. In any case, investors with high expectations can hope for solid Xs in 2025.
