Grayscale files for NEAR ETF as major altcoins bleed – What’s next?

The push to give Wall Street direct access to Layer-1 blockchains is growing.

After a year of major ETF filings tied to Solana [SOL] and Ripple [XRP], Grayscale Investments has now turned its attention to NEAR Protocol [NEAR].

In a Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the 20th of January, Grayscale announced plans to convert its existing Near Trust into a spot ETF.

The proposed product will be renamed the Grayscale Near Trust ETF, signaling that NEAR is moving beyond a developer-focused project and into the institutional spotlight.

Details of Grayscale Near Trust ETF

As per the filing, Grayscale plans to upgrade the Grayscale Near Trust (GSNR) from the OTCQB over-the-counter market to the NYSE Arca exchange.

The firm is following its standard strategy, beginning with private placements for accredited investors, moving into public trading, and ultimately seeking full spot ETF approval.

After the conversion, the ETF will give investors direct exposure to NEAR, the native token of the Near Protocol, through regular brokerage accounts.

This structure removes many of the problems linked to private trusts, including low liquidity and tracking errors. That said, Grayscale has built the proposed ETF with support from major institutional partners.

Coinbase Custody Trust Company will safeguard the NEAR tokens, while BNY Mellon will manage administration and transfer services.

Additional features

The filing also highlights staking as a key feature of the proposed ETF. Unlike Bitcoin [BTC] ETFs, this fund plans to stake NEAR tokens on the network.

This approach could allow the fund to earn staking rewards that may be shared with investors, subject to regulatory approval.

This development comes as NEAR’s price faces short-term pressure. At press time, the token was trading around $1.53, down 1.84% over the past 24 hours as per CoinMarketCap.

However, the drop appears tied to broader market weakness, driven by President Trump’s tariff actions involving Greenland and several European countries.

At the same time, the altcoin ETF market is becoming increasingly divided.

Altcoin ETFs analysis

Data from SoSoValue shows mixed institutional flows. Solana and Chainlink [LINK] saw small inflows of $3.08 million and $4.05 million.

Meanwhile, Ethereum [ETH] experienced heavy outflows of nearly $230 million, followed by XRP at $53.32 million and smaller exits from Dogecoin [DOGE].

This suggests investors are actively shifting capital rather than exiting crypto altogether.

Needless to say, NEAR is not alone in this race. Recently, the Bitwise Chainlink ETF also got launched on NYSE Arca on the 14th of January.

Overall, the fast-growing ETF space suggests that 2026 will not have a single dominant winner. Instead, it may be shaped by a wider group of institutional-grade altcoins.

Final Thoughts

• Grayscale’s move makes it easier for traditional investors to access NEAR without dealing with wallets or private trusts.
• For NEAR, this filing is a starting point, not the finish line, with execution now becoming the key focus.