NEAR price could 20x by 2027, says Arthur Hayes
Arthur Hayes (BitMEX co-founder) says NEAR token price has “potential to grow 20x” by 2027, tying the thesis to NEAR Intents and rising privacy-coin demand. On The Rollup podcast, Hayes argued that NEAR Intents could let AI agents move assets privately across blockchains without bridges, extra wallets, or fragmented liquidity—making privacy tokens such as Zcash more usable in the broader crypto economy.
Hayes’ NEAR call is also positioned as a continuation of his ZEC rally playbook. He highlighted that ZEC has surged over 1,000% in the past year, and he expects NEAR to be a major beneficiary because it can extend ZEC’s utility beyond a single chain. Hayes cited an example: sending shielded Zcash anonymously across the internet via Near Intents. He contrasted upside expectations, suggesting NEAR could reach ~20x while ZEC might be ~5x over the next year.
Market context: NEAR has gained more than 90% since Hayes publicly spotlighted NEAR alongside ZEC and HYPE in May, echoing prior trader attention that followed his ZEC posts in 2025. Traders also point to technical signals resembling NEAR’s 2023–2024 recovery—bouncing from the $0.91–$0.99 zone, RSI near ~88 (strong buying pressure), and a “golden cross” where the 50-day EMA is rising above the 200-day EMA.
Near-term targets cited are $3.38–$4.00, with a decisive break above $4 strengthening the case for a larger move toward the $9–$10 area. A failure to reclaim $3.38–$4.00 could trigger a bearish pullback toward the 50/200-day EMAs.
Bullish
This news is bullish because it combines (1) a high-conviction fundamental narrative from a widely followed trader (Arthur Hayes) and (2) near-term technical setups for NEAR. Hayes’ “NEAR Intents” angle directly supports privacy-coin usability across chains, which can attract incremental demand for ZEC-like assets—an outcome markets often reward with follow-through once a narrative gains traction.
Historically, Hayes’ prior public ZEC endorsements triggered sharp upside (the article cites ZEC’s large gains after his 2025 posts). That pattern suggests traders may front-run similar catalysts for NEAR, increasing volatility and bid pressure in the short term.
In the short term, the article highlights momentum signals (high RSI, golden cross) and a clear resistance/target band at $3.38–$4.00. If NEAR holds the breakout and reclaims $4, momentum traders are likely to add risk, which can extend the move. In the long run, if NEAR Intents adoption genuinely expands cross-chain private usage by AI agents, the 20x-style thesis becomes more than hype.
Risks remain: failing to reclaim the $3.38–$4.00 zone could flip the narrative and spark a technical unwind toward the 50/200-day EMAs—so position sizing and levels matter.