NEAR Protocol has officially launched Universal Send, a groundbreaking cross-chain payment tool that enables confidential transactions across more than 35 blockchains without exposing wallet activity or transaction data. The feature, built on NEAR Intents technology, allows users to send any token to a recipient on any supported chain in a single, seamless action, combining bridging, swapping, and settlement while keeping sender, receiver, and amount details hidden from public explorers.
Universal Send is positioned as an institutional-grade privacy solution. Unlike fully opaque protocols, it offers auditable execution for regulators or compliance teams through a trusted execution environment bridge. NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin emphasized that confidential settlement is critical infrastructure as autonomous agents handle more on-chain transactions. Users simply scan a QR code, choose a token, and confirm payment; the system automatically handles conversion and routing, delivering the requested asset to the merchant without manual bridging.
The launch has already impacted the market: NEAR token surged 11.76% in 24 hours to $2.61, with trading volume exceeding $853 million and a market cap of approximately $3.38 billion. The privacy model draws comparisons to single-chain networks like Zcash but extends capabilities Multichannel, shifting execution off-chain to reduce MEV and frontrunning risks. However, a 2026 risk assessment by Hindenrank rated NEAR Intents as moderate risk due to reliance on external solvers, introducing a trust variable that remains difficult to audit systematically.
