Interesting movement in the market. NEAR is up 17% after the network launched Confidential Intents — a new private execution layer. This is not just another update, but a significant step in tackling one of DeFi's biggest issues.

Why is this important? Because every transaction you make on the blockchain is visible to everyone. Bots see what you want to buy, how much, in which direction — and use this information against you. This is what’s called MEV, maximum extractable value. For institutions, it’s especially painful when it comes to large positions.

CONFIDENTIAL Intents changes the game. Instead of all your transactions being visible in the mempool until completion, they are routed through a private layer connected to the mainnet. Users can switch to confidential accounts to avoid front-running and "sandwich" attacks. But unlike Monero or Zcash, where everything is always hidden, NEAR offers selective privacy — only certain transfers and positions remain invisible, and regulatory audits are still possible.

The feature was introduced at NEARCON in San Francisco, and today it officially went live. Developers and DeFi institutions can already test it. And here’s the interesting part: NEAR grew 40% in a week, surpassing both the broader private token sector and the CoinDesk 20 Index.

But there’s a point worth noting. The network’s market cap is around $1.77 billion, and basic fees remain modest. This means the market doesn’t yet see a surge in activity. Investors are clearly betting that Confidential Intents will attract institutional flow to the network, but that’s still ahead. So, the price is rising on expectations, not actual metrics. It’s worth watching whether institutions will truly start transferring their operations en masse to this private layer.