Bitwise Asset Management has launched the first U.S. spot exchange-traded product offering direct exposure to NEAR, giving traditional investors a new route into the layer-1 blockchain's token through standard brokerage accounts. The debut comes as U.S. spot crypto funds broaden beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum to a wider set of layer-1 assets.

The Bitwise NEAR ETF debuted on NYSE Arca on September 29 under the ticker symbol NRR. The fund charges a 0.75% management fee and combines spot NEAR exposure with staking, according to the company's announcement.

Spot NEAR Exposure for U.S. Investors

NRR does not trade futures or other derivatives, but instead holds NEAR outright. The structure means that investor demand for ETF shares could drive purchases of the underlying token during share creation, potentially linking capital inflows to demand in the NEAR spot market, a dynamic that separates spot products from futures-based funds, where inflows settle in derivative contracts rather than the token itself.

The product gives investors a way to buy NEAR without managing private keys and wallets or transacting through a cryptocurrency exchange. Bitwise said in a Monday release that its family of single-asset crypto offerings has grown to include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Hyperliquid.

Staking Adds an Approximately 5% Yield Component

Bitwise also plans to stake a significant percentage of NRR's NEAR holdings. The fund will stake NEAR with a maximum staking reward of approximately 5% per annum, though this is not a guaranteed rate of return. The annualized staking reward rate stood at approximately 5% as of September 25. Rewards earned through staking accrue to the fund's net asset value rather than being paid out as a fixed yield, meaning shareholder returns would combine NEAR's price performance with whatever staking rewards the fund actually captures, net of fees.

The proportion of holdings ultimately staked, and the rewards actually realized, are therefore variables investors can track over time. The staking structure introduces additional risks, including the potential for slashing, operational challenges, and liquidity problems if tokens are unavailable at redemption time.

NEAR Intents Tops $32 Billion in Transaction Volume

Alongside the ETF launch, Bitwise pointed to NEAR's progress within AI-powered blockchain infrastructure. According to data from Bitwise, NEAR Intents, the network's cross-chain transaction protocol, has processed more than $32 billion in transaction volume, up from under $1 billion a year ago.

The protocol is designed to allow users and autonomous software agents to transact in a distributed manner without having to manage each routing transaction individually. Bitwise said this capability may grow even more important as AI agents begin making payments, swaps and other financial transactions on behalf of users. For ETF investors, those network metrics form the fundamental backdrop for a product whose value ultimately tracks the NEAR token.

Bitwise also reported that NEAR transactions now complete in about 1.2 seconds, and that the network has recorded 100% uptime across six years of operation.

NRR Extends Bitwise's NEAR Strategy Into the U.S.

The U.S. launch follows Bitwise's existing operations in Europe, where the firm already offers a BaFin-approved staking ETP. As of June 30, 2026, Bitwise managed approximately $ billion in client assets.

With NRR now trading on NYSE Arca, the near-term markers are operational rather than price-driven: the pace of share creations, the share of the fund's NEAR that ends up staked, and how staking rewards flow through to net asset value.