Bitwise Launches NEAR Staking ETP with 5.5% Yield

• Bitwise launched a NEAR Staking ETP on Xetra with integrated staking and institutional-grade cold custody.
• The ETP offers a 5.5% net staking yield annually, without lock-up and with daily liquidity.

Bitwise has officially launched its NEAR Staking ETP product on the Deutsche Börse Xetra exchange. This product not only contains NEAR tokens, but also offers the opportunity to earn staking returns of up to 5.5% per year—net of fees.

For European investors who might want to get into crypto without the hassle of fiddling with a digital wallet, this product is a fairly smooth shortcut.

The Bitwise NEAR Staking ETP is officially launched!

Bitwise NEAR is an exciting opportunity for growing institutional access to the NEAR Ecosystem https://t.co/D4qV2KeCfA

— NEAR Protocol (@NEARProtocol) July 2, 2025

NEAR ETP Offers Liquid Staking Without the Lockups

This staking ETP is built entirely on NEAR assets stored cold in institutional storage. In addition, its performance follows the CF NEAR Staked Return Index, and it is available in a daily-tradable format. This means there is no waiting period like regular staking—you can buy today and sell tomorrow.

In the two days since its launch, the NEAR token price has jumped almost 8%. The chart also shows a strong breakout above the $2.11 level area. It could be that this is not just the effect of a happy market, but because there is real demand from investors who have been ‘watching from afar’ and now feel more comfortable entering through official instruments.

AI Governance, Cross-Chain Tech, and a Protocol on the Move

On the other hand, NEAR Protocol is not sitting back. Last month, they introduced House of Stake—a new governance system that involves the role of AI in blockchain decision-making. Not only as an assistant, AI here can be a delegate, even a potential CEO. With the veNEAR token mechanism, users can lock NEAR to get voting power and rewards for those who are actively involved in the long term.

Still in the same month, they also announced an update to the Chain Signatures technology which now supports EdDSA. This technology enables the cross-chain signing process without the need for a bridge. Some networks that can be directly connected include Solana, TON, Stellar, Aptos, and Sui. A big step considering that so far the cross-blockchain process has tended to be complicated and prone to delays.

Furthermore, the integration of BNB Chain with NEAR Intents now allows users to exchange cross-chain assets such as BNB, ETH, BTC, and ZEC instantly—without the need for bridging, without slippage, without waiting time.

NEAR itself is preparing for its 77th protocol upgrade, while strengthening its AI infrastructure. The focus is on tighter data control and better execution speed—two things that are crucial for future Web3 applications involving AI. These are not just additional features, but the foundation that could determine whether NEAR can compete in the increasingly crowded Layer-1 field.

Besides that, as of the writing time, NEAR is changing hands at about $2.31, up 9.56% over the last 24 hours, with $222.53 million in daily trading volume.