NEAR Protocol Intents Volume Surges 100% as Zcash Zashi Wallet Enables Private Crypto Swaps

NEAR Protocol's intent-based system has experienced remarkable growth with transaction volumes nearly doubling month-over-month and surpassing 120,000 active users, according to Dune Analytics data. The platform has processed approximately $800 million in swaps and payments during the past 30 days, bringing cumulative volume to $1.8 billion since launch. The surge coincides with Zcash's Zashi wallet integration, which now features two live functionalities on NEAR Intents. Zashi Swaps enable direct conversion of major cryptocurrencies including BTC, SOL, and USDC into ZEC within the application, while CrossPay facilitates spending shielded ZEC across NEAR-supported chains. This integration significantly enhances privacy-focused transactions while streamlining user experience. NEAR Intents revolutionizes cross-chain operations by allowing users to specify desired outcomes rather than manually executing multiple blockchain transactions. The system automatically routes operations through relayers that bundle orders, reducing failures and minimizing gas costs. Current data shows expanding asset support with USDC, WETH, and emerging ecosystem tokens leading volume, while Ethereum, Solana and Zcash dominate blockchain integrations. The privacy-focused partnership emerges as Zcash experiences substantial market momentum, quadrupling in price over the past month. This collaboration establishes a blueprint for privacy wallets, with NEAR Intents handling complex backend operations while user applications manage interface requirements.