NEAR Protocol jumps 28% after launching confidential perpetual futures

NEAR Protocol's price surged nearly 28% in 24 hours to about $3.47 on Sept. 18, extending its seven-day gain past 40% following the launch of confidential perpetual futures. The new product, introduced Sept. 17 on near.com, lets traders open positions without publicly linking them to their accounts. Hyperliquid provides execution and liquidity, while NEAR's Confidential Intents infrastructure handles privacy, offering access to over 50 perpetual markets while hiding position size, direction, and entry timing. Confidential Intents surpassed $70 million in total value locked on Sept. 15, triggering an incentive program snapshot allocating 333,333 tokens to eligible users. NEAR traded up to $3.50, gaining nearly 30% against Bitcoin, with the 4-hour RSI at 88.44 and resistance near $3.57.