What Is NEAR Protocol? Why It’s Trending After a 15.74% Drop
NEAR fell 15.74% in seven days to $3.69, and that drop is why it’s trending on CoinGecko. So what is NEAR Protocol? It’s a proof-of-stake Layer 1 that splits its work across shards, gives users readable account names, and now pitches itself as “the blockchain for AI.” As of November 8, 2026, it ranks 21st by market cap on CoinGecko.