NEAR Protocol to Add Automatic Resharding and Post-Quantum Signing in June Upgrade
NEAR Protocol will introduce dynamic resharding in June 2026 as part of network upgrade 2.13, letting the blockchain add shards automatically when capacity is reached. NEAR's token rose roughly 27% to 30% within 24 hours of the announcement, though the two source reports differ on the exact gain.
Written by CoinArticle’s AI Newsroom · from 2 cited sources. How we work
What the Upgrade Changes
NEAR Protocol plans to introduce dynamic resharding in June 2026 as part of network upgrade 2.13. The change lets the network monitor the state size of each shard and split it automatically once it crosses a predetermined capacity limit, removing the need for validators to coordinate manually or wait through governance votes.
The upgrade builds on NEAR's Nightshade sharding architecture, which has been rolling out in phases since 2021. Per the reports, the shard count rose from 6 to 8 in March 2025 and to 9 later that year. The project's long-term projections envision more than 70 shards, which would push transaction throughput past Visa-level capacity.
Market Reaction
NEAR's native token rose after the announcement, but the sources differ on the size of the move. CoinDesk's headline describes the token as "skyrocketing" without a single figure in its opening lines, while Crypto Briefing reported a 27% surge. Crypto Briefing's own body text puts the move at roughly 27% to 30% within 24 hours, with the token trading around $2.24 to $2.27. Neither source gives a closing price or exchange-level volume, so the range should be treated as a press-reported approximation rather than an audited figure.
Quantum Signing and the AI Angle
The same June upgrade adds post-quantum-safe signing, a cryptographic change intended to protect the network against future quantum attacks. Quantum computers able to break current encryption do not yet exist, and the upgrade is a forward-looking measure rather than a response to an active threat. The sources frame the pairing of automatic scaling and quantum readiness as part of NEAR's positioning, which is also tied to its NEAR Intents cross-chain infrastructure and to AI-driven workloads that generate unpredictable spikes in transaction demand.
The AI framing comes from the outlets' analysis rather than from a stated protocol metric, so it reflects the project's positioning more than a measured result.
Institutional Context
Crypto Briefing notes that Bitwise offers a NEAR Staking ETP, a regulated product that gives institutional investors exposure to the token. The report links sustained inflows into such products to the upgrade narrative, but it does not cite flow data showing that effect, so any link between the product and the price move remains unverified.
Outlook
The upgrade's effect will depend on whether dynamic resharding performs as designed when the network next faces demand pressure. The June 2026 timeline is the project's stated target, and the sources do not describe any testnet results or audit findings to date.
Why It Matters
For Traders
The 27% to 30% move has already occurred, so traders should watch whether gains hold as the June 2026 upgrade timeline approaches and the sources' price figures are confirmed by exchange data.
For Investors
Automatic resharding addresses a structural scaling bottleneck, and NEAR's institutional product access signals a longer-term push toward regulated capital inflows.
For Builders
Applications on NEAR should plan for shard count changes and the post-quantum signing transition, and should test whether their state growth patterns interact with automatic splits.
This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.
