Bitwise brings first spot NEAR ETF to US investors

Bitwise has launched the first US spot exchange-traded product tracking NEAR, expanding its lineup of single-asset crypto funds as the asset manager bets on the blockchain’s role in an emerging AI-driven economy. The Bitwise NEAR ETF began trading Tuesday on NYSE Arca under the ticker NRR. The fund carries a 0.75% annual management fee and holds NEAR directly, with Bitwise also planning to stake the fund’s tokens to generate additional NEAR for shareholders through its net asset value. The launch caps a regulatory process that began more than a year ago. Bitwise initially filed the fund’s S-1 registration statement with the SEC in May 2025. NYSE Arca approved the shares for listing on September 24, while the SEC registration became effective the same day. Bitwise is pitching NEAR as infrastructure for a future in which AI agents increasingly make payments, trade assets and carry out financial transactions on behalf of users. A major part of that thesis centers on NEAR Intents, the network’s crosschain transaction system. Bitwise said the protocol has processed more than $32 billion in volume, up from less than $1 billion a year ago. NEAR’s own dashboard currently shows more than $3...