NEAR Protocol has activated mainnet upgrade 2.13.0, bringing a package of changes focused on post-quantum cryptography, automatic shard scaling, and a redesigned transaction fee system. The rollout was publicly confirmed by former NEAR core developer Vadim in a post on X, and the update quickly spread across crypto reporting channels.
Four protocol changes shipped in one release
Version 2.13.0 combines four protocol-level updates: a new post-quantum signature type, automatic shard splitting, a new gas key framework under NEP-611, and a move to peer-to-peer node synchronization. The source article notes that NEAR usually documents finalized changes through GitHub release notes and its developer blog, and says Vadim’s description matches the structure of earlier releases.
ML-DSA-65 becomes NEAR’s third supported key type
On the security side, NEAR now supports ML-DSA-65, a signature scheme finalized by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, under its post-quantum cryptography standard. That makes it the third supported key format on NEAR, alongside ed25519 and secp256k1.
NEAR runs on the Nightshade sharding architecture, where validators secure multiple shards and distribute transaction processing across them. Adding a NIST-backed quantum-resistant signature strengthens the signing layer validators depend on, while shard-to-shard communication stays unchanged. The shift is narrow in scope, but important.
Dynamic resharding now reacts to load automatically
The upgrade also introduces dynamic resharding. Under this design, the network can automatically split high-load shards at epoch boundaries based on real-time shard conditions, instead of waiting for manual configuration by the core team. That targets a long-standing issue in sharded blockchain systems: keeping a single shard from turning into a congestion point when demand becomes uneven.
The point is not just more shards. It is faster response to pressure where it actually appears.
NEP-611 opens the door to sponsored gas payments
The fee model changes are tied to NEP-611. Access keys can now hold separate pre-funded gas balances and support 1,024 parallel nonce channels. Combined with DelegateV2 meta-transactions, this lets an application cover network fees on behalf of a user through gas sponsorship.
The source compares this setup to sponsored transaction flows used in Web2 products. In practice, the feature is aimed at reducing onboarding friction, especially for users who do not want to acquire tokens just to pay gas before using an app. That has direct implications for wallets, dApps, and consumer-facing products built on NEAR.
Token price showed limited immediate response
Market data in the source suggests the release did not trigger a major instant price move. NEAR was trading near $1.93, up about 0.5% to 0.64% over 24 hours, with a market capitalization of roughly $2.52 billion. Daily trading volume was listed at $151.61 million, down close to 22%.
There was a small price gain, but volume weakened at the same time. The market reaction stayed muted.
Ledger, NEAR AI, and stablecoin growth add context
Outside the core mainnet release, the wider NEAR ecosystem has been active in several areas. The article says NEAR has partnered with Ledger, using NEAR Intents for cross-chain swaps while aligning hardware wallet security with post-quantum goals. It also says NEAR AI is expanding its user-owned stack, with IronClaw securing the agent layer to support verifiable AI sovereignty. In DeFi, DeFiLlama data cited by the source shows NEAR stablecoin supply rising more than 76% in a week to nearly $114 million.
The article places the upgrade in a broader infrastructure discussion across crypto, where post-quantum security is becoming a larger protocol-level topic. It also points to developer uptake of Gas Keys in the coming weeks as one of the clearest signs of whether these changes translate into real usage.