Why Near Protocol (NEAR) and Internet Computer (ICP) prices are soaring

Prices of NEAR Protocol and Internet Computer are both showing upward trends, although the catalysts for their rebound are quite different. In the past three days, NEAR prices have climbed about 20%, while Internet Computer is up about 10% today.

Drivers behind market fluctuations

The magnitude of these fluctuations naturally raises the question: What is driving them? Near Protocol has technical reasons to be bullish, with one analyst saying it took about six months to develop. Internet Computer has multiple fundamental factors at the same time, including its connection to the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure narrative, new attention to cybersecurity modernization, the accumulation of whale accounts, and DFINITY's cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

An in-depth look at these two tokens will help you better understand the context behind their latest price changes.

With the development of technical forms in six months, the price of NEAR Protocol has increased.

First of all, NEAR prices have increased by about 20% in the past three days.

Cryptocurrency analyst Polaris xux believes that the roots of the current trend can be traced back further. His arguments focused mainly on the long-term moving average and NEAR's performance after hitting February lows.

Polaris xux compares the current Near Protocol pattern with the structure of leading altcoins that emerged during previous bull markets. He cited Cardano from 2019 to 2021 and Solana from 2023 to 2025 as examples.

Polars xux does not expect the historical pattern to repeat itself completely. His core point concerns the behavior pattern of long-term moving averages of some previous market leaders before recording larger gains.

NEAR has spent months going through this process.

Polaris xux said the token began an independent recovery after hitting a February low. Near Protocol then began crossing the long-term moving average rather than directly entering the area of highest resistance from the bottom.

Analysts believe this gradual development is critical because it took NEAR approximately six months to build its current technology structure.

NEAR prices are testing key long-term moving averages

Daily NEAR charts form an important part of Polaris xux's argument.

His analysis focuses on moving averages of 112, 224, 448 and 896. As the recovery progresses, NEAR has been breaking through these levels one by one.

Under its framework, the 448 moving average is currently an important area of resistance. After successfully breaking through this area, the 896 moving average will become the next major technical hurdle.

Several other developments support his argument:

• NEAR is breaking through its main moving averages of 112, 224, 448 and 896 on the daily time frame.
• The moving averages of 112 and 60 are tending to form a "golden cross".
• Short-term moving averages have formed a more constructive alignment.
• The 448 moving average remains an important resistance test point.
• If NEAR continues to move higher, the 896 moving average could become relevant.

Polaris xux believes this makes Near Protocol's price structure different from those that have recently rebounded directly from lows. Essentially his argument is that NEAR has completed most of its technical preparations, while other altcoins may still be trying to establish those preparations.

Multiple time frames appear

Near Protocol's analysis becomes more interesting once longer time frames are included.

Polaris xux points to the golden cross between the 112 and 60 moving averages on the 3-day chart. Over this time frame, the short-term moving averages are also aligned.

Analysts believe that this form is not common among the major tokens offered by Upbit.

NEAR also broke the 60 moving average on the weekly chart. The shorter moving averages are also aligned here, and under their framework, their overall direction has turned upward.

Monthly charts provide another part of the settings. NEAR produced a golden cross between the 5 and 10 moving averages before breaking the 20 moving average.

This leaves analysts looking at the technical structure of four different time frames:

Polaris xux previously listed NEAR as one of his promising altcoins after abandoning his early August views. He pointed out that Near Protocol subsequently increased by about 40%.

His latest argument relies more than just on previous gains. The main point is that several moving average structures have taken months to form, and the current rebound in NEAR prices is testing whether these preparations can translate into a larger market.

To further develop this scenario, the NEAR Protocol still needs to overcome remaining areas of resistance.

Internet Computer prices soar 10% as AI infrastructure returns to focus

There are different explanations behind the latest trends in Internet Computer. ICP rose about 10% today as multiple developments surrounding the network converged.

Welsh ICP Conviction focuses on a particularly big topic: the infrastructure needed in the era of artificial intelligence

His argument follows comments by Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora about cybersecurity infrastructure.

Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora has issued a warning that should be brought to the attention of every government, enterprise and chief information security officer (CISO):

Roughly $1 TRILLION of existing cybersecurity. t.co/IhZB0ht2X2- Welsh ICP Warning (@ICPLEGEND1966) September 4, 2026

Arora warns that as artificial intelligence changes the speed and complexity of digital threats, the existing approximately $1 trillion cybersecurity infrastructure may need modernization.

The core issue is that much of today's security infrastructure is created when attacks are mainly operating at human speeds. Artificial intelligence changes this equation because automated systems can discover vulnerabilities, execute attack chains, and adapt faster.

Arora specifically believes that technology deployed seven or 10 years ago may not be able to cope with AI attacks running at machine speed.

Welsh ICP Conviction believes that this issue has broader implications for Internet Computers.

Internet Computer's on-chain AI infrastructure fits into the larger technology debate

Welsh ICP Conviction connects Arora's cybersecurity warnings to the infrastructure that Internet Computer has developed over the years.

This argument is not limited to cybersecurity. Artificial intelligence may ultimately require changes in cloud infrastructure, computing, identity, data storage, applications and automation.

Internet Computer already provides some of the technologies that are consistent with this broader discussion.

The network supports full-stack applications that can run on-chain rather than relying entirely on traditional cloud infrastructure. ICP also provides cryptographic security and authentication, as well as the ability to maintain application data and state on the chain.

Other parts of the Internet Computer infrastructure include:

• AI models and autonomous agents that can run on the chain.
• Decentralized computing infrastructure for applications.
• Encryption authentication and network security.
• On-chain application data and status.
• Chain Fusion for direct interoperability with other blockchains.
• Network governance through the Network Nervous System.
• Cycles, consumed when computing resources are used as applications.

Welsh ICP Conviction's broader argument is that AI may force companies and businesses to rethink more than just their cybersecurity tools. The computing infrastructure itself may eventually require major upgrades.

The $1 trillion figure still needs to be treated with caution. Arora is discussing the potential scale of cybersecurity modernization rather than predicting that Internet Computer will have a $1 trillion business.

The relevance for ICP stems from the broader technical issues described in his comments.

DFINITY and UNDP collaboration adds real-world use cases to ICP stories

Another catalyst for Internet Computer comes from DFINITY and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Analyst Akshay points out that the collaboration between DFINITY and UNDP is part of the current ICP narrative. He linked this development to real-world blockchain infrastructure and potential institutional use cases.

DFINITY and UNDP have been working around blockchain-based digital infrastructure. This relationship is important for ICP discussions because DFINITY is the main research and development organization behind the Internet Computer ecosystem.

Such initiatives open up another avenue for the project to go beyond native encryption applications.

Internet Computer has for years positioned itself as an infrastructure capable of supporting applications, data, identity systems, and decentralized services directly on the chain. Work with international institutions such as UNDP gives analysts another practical area to look at when assessing whether the technology can find broader uses.

Akshay believes this combination deserves close attention, especially in the light of the latest ICP price changes.

Whale accumulation gives Internet Computer another factor in rebound

Akshay also points to whale accumulation activity surrounding Internet Computer.

The activity of large holders is useful when assessing whether to increase exposure in large wallets, especially during periods of strong price performance. Whale accumulation does not guarantee that ICP prices will continue to rise, as large holders can change positions and blockchain data can be interpreted in multiple ways.

Still, this combination is eye-catching because it is accompanied by a daily price increase of about 10% for ICP and the fundamentals surrounding Internet Computer.

Therefore, the current ICP picture contains several independent elements. AI infrastructure provides part of the narrative. Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora provides another part of the cybersecurity warning. The relationship between DFINITY and UNDP adds a real-world infrastructure perspective, while whale accumulation provides an on-chain factor that needs to be monitored.

FAQs

What is a "near protocol"?

NEAR Protocol is a high-performance fragmented Layer-1 blockchain designed to serve as a scalable foundation for decentralized applications and the emerging AI proxy economy.

Will the ICP reach US$100?

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