San Francisco, CA – NEAR has unveiled Near.com, a new cryptocurrency wallet and consumer application designed to simplify blockchain technology for everyday users. The platform aims to merge the functionalities of cryptocurrency with artificial intelligence (AI), positioning itself as a key player in the evolving digital finance landscape.
Co-founder Alex Polosukhin, who co-authored the foundational paper on the transformer model that powers many modern AI systems, emphasized the potential for blockchain infrastructure to support the next generation of AI applications. “We are entering the world where AI is becoming our interface to compute,” he stated during the product launch.
The NEAR token has seen a decline of nearly 3% in value over the past 24 hours, reflecting market fluctuations.
Near.com is designed to alleviate the complexities often associated with cryptocurrency transactions. Users can manage various digital assets, including Bitcoin, stablecoins, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), without needing to navigate issues such as gas fees or private keys. Polosukhin remarked, “You don’t need to think about blockchains. You just use it as your main wallet.” This approach aims to consolidate activities that are typically dispersed across multiple wallets and networks into a single, streamlined interface.
NEAR’s vision extends beyond merely creating a wallet. The company anticipates that as AI agents become more capable in tasks such as travel booking and online purchases, they will require robust transaction capabilities. Here, blockchain technology can provide programmable payments and automated settlements without the need for traditional financial intermediaries.
Polosukhin described a future where AI systems act as “economic actors,” facilitating negotiations and transactions autonomously. In this context, cryptocurrency serves as the financial framework that enables these agents to function effectively.
Privacy remains a critical concern in blockchain transactions, which are typically transparent and can expose sensitive financial information. To address this issue, NEAR has introduced a “confidential mode” within Near.com. This feature allows users to keep their balances, transfers, and trading activities private while still operating within the secure framework of the network. Polosukhin noted, “That’s not realistic for usual use cases, for day-to-day usage,” highlighting the need for enhanced privacy in financial transactions.
The launch of Near.com marks a significant pivot for NEAR as it seeks to scale adoption of its technology. “We have the stack. We have all the components. We have the product,” Polosukhin stated. “Now we’re switching to how we actually scale adoption — how we bring this to billions of people around the world.”
NEAR has launched Near.com, a cryptocurrency wallet that integrates AI capabilities to simplify blockchain transactions for users. The platform aims to enhance privacy and streamline digital asset management while positioning itself at the intersection of crypto and AI.