NEAR Protocol News: What the 2.13.0 Update Means for Users NEAR Protocol has activated mainnet upgrade version 2.13.0, introducing post-quantum signature support, automatic shard scaling, and
NEAR Protocol has activated mainnet upgrade version 2.13.0, introducing post-quantum signature support, automatic shard scaling, and a redesigned gas payment system. The rollout was confirmed publicly by Vadim, a former core developer of NEAR, through a post on his X account. The disclosure has since circulated widely across crypto reporting channels, making this one of the more closely watched pieces of near protocol news this month.
This NEAR protocol update today touches three core areas of the network: cryptographic security, shard-level scaling, and how transaction fees are handled.
Version 2.13.0 bundles four protocol-level changes together: a new post-quantum signature type, automatic shard splitting, a new gas key system under proposal NEP-611, and a shift to peer-to-peer node synchronization. NEAR typically documents these changes in its GitHub release notes and developer blog once a version is finalized, and the details shared by Vadim align with how NEAR has structured previous version releases.
Source: X Account
NEAR now supports ML-DSA-65, a signature scheme finalized by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as part of its post-quantum cryptography standard. This makes it the third supported key type on NEAR, alongside the existing ed25519 and secp256k1 formats. NEAR's underlying architecture, called Nightshade sharding, distributes transaction processing across multiple shards secured by validators. Adding a NIST-backed quantum-resistant key type strengthens the signature layer validators rely on, without altering how shards communicate with one another.
Dynamic resharding allows the network to automatically split high-load shards at epoch boundaries, based on real-time shard status, instead of requiring manual configuration by the core team. This is a direct response to a long-standing challenge in sharded blockchain design: preventing congestion on individual shards during periods of uneven network demand.
Under NEP-611, access keys can now hold independent, pre-stored gas balances, supported by 1,024 parallel nonce channels. Combined with DelegateV2 meta-transactions, this enables gas sponsorship, where an app can cover transaction fees on a user's behalf, similar to how sponsored transactions work in Web2 platforms. NEAR developers have described this as a way to reduce onboarding friction for users who don't want to hold tokens solely to pay network fees.
Does the Upgrade Impact NEAR Price?NEAR token price today is trading near $1.93, hovering around 0.5–0.64% up in 24 hours, with a $2.52B market cap. Daily trading volume sits at $151.61M, facing a downturn near 22%, suggesting the upgrade has not triggered any immediate major price reaction yet.
Source: CoinMarketCap Official
Near Protocol Ecosystem Today: Other Major UpdatesBeyond the mainnet upgrade, NEAR has also been active across its wider ecosystem, rolling out fresh partnerships and updates around AI, wallets, and DeFi.
1. NEAR has partnered with Ledger, using NEAR Intents to power cross-chain swaps and align hardware wallet security for the post-quantum era.
2. NEAR AI is expanding its user-owned stack, with IronClaw now securing the agent layer to support verifiable AI sovereignty.
3. NEAR's stablecoin supply has grown sharply, reportedly up over 76% in a week per DeFiLlama data, nearing $114M and making NEAR one of the fastest-growing stablecoin chains.
The Upgrade Designed to Support Long Term Ecosystem GrowthDiscussion around near protocol market news has focused on long-term infrastructure positioning. Post-quantum security is an emerging priority across the broader blockchain industry, and NEAR joins a small group of networks addressing it directly at the protocol layer, a step also being discussed on chains like Ethereum and Solana as part of their own longer-term scaling plans.
For NEAR specifically, developer adoption of Gas Keys over the coming weeks is likely to be the clearest early signal of real-world impact, since onboarding-focused features tend to show results through usage data rather than headlines alone.
ConclusionNEAR's 2.13.0 mainnet upgrade combines post-quantum security, automated shard scaling, and simplified gas handling into one release, underscoring the network's continued focus on long-term infrastructure over short-term headlines.
DisclaimerThis article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile; readers should conduct independent research or consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.
