Bitwise Launches First U.S. Spot NEAR ETF on Exchange
Bitwise Asset Management debuts the NRR fund, the first U.S. spot NEAR Protocol ETP, targeting AI-driven commerce growth.
Bitwise Asset Management launched the Bitwise NEAR ETF, ticker NRR, marking the debut of the first spot NEAR Protocol exchange-traded product available to U.S. investors, the San Francisco-based firm announced September 29, 2026.
The fund gives investors regulated exposure to NEAR, the blockchain network positioned at the intersection of artificial intelligence and decentralized finance. Bitwise, which oversees approximately $9 billion in client assets as of June 30, cited the emerging field of agentic commerce — autonomous AI agents conducting economic transactions — as a central thesis for the product.
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Global agentic commerce is projected to reach $5 trillion by 2030, according to figures cited in the announcement. Bitwise framed NEAR as infrastructure enabling that AI-powered economy, distinguishing the network from general-purpose blockchains and positioning NRR as a targeted bet on that convergence.
The launch extends a broader pattern in the crypto ETF market, where issuers have moved aggressively beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum to offer spot products tied to individual altcoins following regulatory shifts. Bitwise has been among the more active issuers pursuing that expansion, and the NEAR filing represents one of the first spot vehicles for a layer-one blockchain with an explicit AI infrastructure mandate.
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