NEAR Protocol Achieves Historic Milestone: Price Surges 7.6% Amid Massive Airdrop

Published by

Steve Muchoki

September 17, 2026

Shaded hands holding a glowing white and blue NEAR Protocol gear coin against a rising chart.

NEAR Protocol (NEAR) is the second-best-performing cryptocurrency among the top 30 by market cap in the last 24 hours. The token is up 7.59% to trade at $2.51 following the attainment of the “NEAR@3.33” Milestone.

Why is NEAR’s price up today?

NEAR Protocol rewards ecosystem growth by airdropping NEAR tokens to eligible users whenever its total value locked (TVL) attains a pre-set landmark.

This time, however, the airdrop exclusively focused on the network’s privacy-focused cross-chain pipeline known as the Confidential Intents. Dubbed the “NEAR@3.33” Milestone Incentive Program, the scheme was designed to automatically distribute 333,333 locked and non-transferable NEAR@3.33 tokens once the confidential transactions pipeline hit a $70 million TVL.

At press time, Near Protocol had surpassed the set target, with TVL growing 129.3% in the past 90 days to hit $70.79 million.

Source: Near Revenue Dashboard

Near has now called on its users to claim the NEAR@3.33 token airdrops on its official website.

Eligible users must have maintained a balance above $100 and successfully executed at least one confidential swap. Those with earlier activity, higher balances, and more swaps will receive higher allocations than those without.

Notably, NEAR@3.33 tokens will be redeemable for NEAR tokens at a 1:1 ratio once NEAR’s volume-weighted average price (VWAP) holds at or above $3.33 for three consecutive days. The unlock conditions are meant to prevent wash trading and short-term speculation, while promoting network and token value growth.

NEAR price action

Other than the TVL milestone, Near Protocol is one of the first major layer-1 blockchains to become partially quantum-proof.

At $2.51, NEAR is trading above the $2.44 Fibonacci support. Should it rise above this level, it could retest the $2.65 resistance zone. A break below the support could pull it back to $2.25, with a deeper correction potentially dragging it to $2.00.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Another event that could affect future price action is today’s Fed interest rate hike of 25 basis points.

Trust with CoinPedia:

CoinPedia has been delivering accurate and timely cryptocurrency and blockchain updates since 2017. All content is created by our expert panel of analysts and journalists, following strict Editorial Guidelines based on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Every article is fact-checked against reputable sources to ensure accuracy, transparency, and reliability. Our review policy guarantees unbiased evaluations when recommending exchanges, platforms, or tools. We strive to provide timely updates about everything crypto & blockchain, right from startups to industry majors.

Investment Disclaimer:

All opinions and insights shared represent the author's own views on current market conditions. Please do your own research before making investment decisions. Neither the writer nor the publication assumes responsibility for your financial choices.