Could Buying This 1 Cryptocurrency Make You Rich?
Key Points
NEAR Protocol is up more than 230% for the year, making it a standout crypto performer in 2026.
Over the past six years, NEAR Protocol has never been able to deliver consistent performance.
AI narratives continue to go in and out of favor, adding to the risk of investing in NEAR Protocol.
Propelled by new narratives around artificial intelligence, NEAR Protocol (CRYPTO: NEAR) currently ranks as one of the top-performing cryptocurrencies of the year. It's now up a head-spinning 233% in 2026.
So, could buying this one cryptocurrency make you rich? While it wouldn't be smart to plan on any one investment making you rich, let's take a closer look at the question.
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The bull and bear case for NEAR
There are two ways to think about NEAR Protocol. If you're a glass-half-full type of investor, then NEAR Protocol is the future of artificial intelligence (AI). As an AI-focused Layer-1 blockchain network, it provides a potential transaction layer for AI agents. And it's led by two Silicon Valley technologists who were early pioneers in the generative AI field. From this perspective, the future growth trajectory for NEAR Protocol could be off the charts.
Image source: Getty Images.
But, if you're a glass-half-empty type of investor, NEAR Protocol simply doesn't have the long-term staying power of more diversified Layer-1 blockchain networks, such as Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) or Solana (CRYPTO: SOL). Yes, AI agents may execute their transactions on secure, blockchain-based networks, but they won't be doing it on NEAR. Moreover, AI product launches from NEAR (such as NEAR Intents) are still very much in their formative phase.
Past performance
NEAR might be up 233% in 2026, but it still sits an astounding 75% below its all-time high from January 2022. If you simply looked at this five-year chart for NEAR, it's probably unlikely you'd ever think of adding it to your portfolio.
Since its launch in 2020, NEAR Protocol has been highly volatile. Up years are followed by down years. NEAR was up 950% in 2021, down 91% in 2022, up 191% in 2023, and down 69% in 2025.
That's why it's important not to be carried away by one-year returns for any cryptocurrency. What matters is long-term staying power. Put another way, you'll never get rich in just a year. You'd need several years of back-to-back solid performances.
Is NEAR a buy?
Admittedly, NEAR is an intriguing crypto investment opportunity right now, especially given the recent launch of its first-ever spot exchange-traded fund, the Bitwise NEAR ETF (NYSEMKT: NRR). This suggests that real institutional demand might be building for exposure to NEAR.
Moreover, NEAR now ranks as the top AI cryptocurrency by market cap. At $6.5 billion, it's now almost twice as big as Bittensor (CRYPTO: TAO), which has a market cap of $3.5 billion. As such, NEAR Protocol has become the most obvious way to get exposure to AI within the crypto market.
But here's the thing: NEAR is not even the top-performing AI crypto of the year. That distinction belongs to Venice Token (CRYPTO: VVV), a tiny $1.3 billion crypto that's up a head-spinning 1,700% this year.
The AI space is changing so quickly that it's likely that AI cryptos will continue to go in and out of favor depending on the narratives surrounding artificial intelligence. For that reason, I'm staying far away from NEAR for now. Its performance over the past nine months has been extraordinary, but I'm still not convinced that an investment in NEAR can make an investor rich.
Dominic Basulto has positions in Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bittensor, Ethereum, NEAR Protocol, Solana, and Venice Token. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.