Grayscale NEAR Trust Eyes NYSE Arca Amid Crypto Market Volatility

Grayscale NEAR Trust Filing Signals Institutional Altcoin Push in 2026

Grayscale, a giant digital asset manager, has taken another step to expand its crypto exposure. On January 20, the firm filed an S-1 registration for the Grayscale NEAR trust, aiming to list its shares on NYSE Arca – a major U.S. exchange known for ETF and ETP products.

Source: SEC Official

The filing comes as crypto exchange-traded products are gaining continuous momentum, following multiple U.S. approvals for spot crypto ETFs. Importantly, altcoin investment products are increasingly used by institutions, with Grayscale’s latest layer-1 exposure being the newest addition. 

So, could this be the push altcoins are needed in 2026, especially when the market is currently facing high volatility?

Grayscale NEAR Trust: Expanding Access

The trust was originally launched in May 2024 under private investment mechanisms. The product later became publicly quoted on over-the-counter (OTC) Markets in September 2025 under the ticker GSNR, allowing comparatively broader access.

OTC Markets Group is a U.S. financial marketplace where securities are traded through broker-dealers instead of centralized exchange, which provides public market exposure, though transparency standards remain more limited, as it’s outside the regulated one. 

Source: GSNR Official

Currently traded on OTC markets, the Grayscale NEAR trust reported a net asset value (NAV) of $2.19 per share, with assets under management near $900,000. However, like several products of the firm, GSNR has traded at notable premiums and discounts compared to its NAV.

Now, Grayscale NEAR trust seeks to expand by listing on NYSE Arca. This step would significantly improve liquidity, visibility, and accessibility for institutional investors who prefer major U.S. exchanges.

This filing underscores the similar approach that the firm followed for Solana and Cardano products as well. It also highlights how institutional interest is building around new chains and supporting them. 

NEAR Protocol: Technology Strengthens Investment

NEAR Protocol is a layer-1 blockchain built for scalability and speed. The infrastructure mainly achieves its scalability through two major systems:

• Nightshade sharding system: It allows parallel transaction processing.

• Doomslug consensus mechanism: It delivers near-instant finality.

In 2025 and 2026, NEAR positioned itself as an infrastructure for AI agents and cross-chain execution, focusing on intent-based transactions and seamless user experience.

Currently, the token is facing pressure following the broader crypto market downtrends due to geopolitical tensions. At the time of writing, it traded around $1.54, showing a 2.56% decline in the past 24 hours, with a market cap of $1.95 billion (-2.56%). 

Source: Trading View

The market experts, however, expect that development like this filing, aligning with growing institutional interest in blockchain infrastructures could support its price rally, by integrating real-world, high-frequency application in near future. 

Community Sentiments

Supporters view the step as a significant vote of confidence from one of the largest crypto asset managers during this period of volatility. Critics, on the other hand, argue on $NEAR’s price performance, which is not only down on weekly status, but showing a large gap on yearly data. 

Despite skepticism, Grayscale’s expansion efforts suggest that institutional appetite for diversified altcoin exposure remains firm in 2026.