Institutional investors are gradually entering the cryptocurrency industry by buying digital assets directly or investing in crypto-focused projects.
Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation, says a growing number of institutions are preparing to allocate funds to cryptocurrencies.
Speaking at the Paris Blockchain Week Summit, Flament explained that the shift of many Web2 companies into Web3 is helping to attract institutional interest in the crypto sector. She noted:
“We are seeing a very strong appetite from institutional investors to understand the space, to understand where they can participate.”
Regulation remains uneven across the globe, and Flament believes clear rules will be a major factor in determining the depth and speed of institutional involvement in cryptocurrencies.
She added that one of the NEAR Foundation’s priorities is to help shape effective regulation for the crypto ecosystem, and to foster coordinated engagement with policymakers. As she put it:
“We need to be more coordinated in having a voice for the industry and ultimately coming together with regulators.”
Governments, including the United States, are actively developing policy frameworks to manage the rapid growth of the cryptocurrency industry. These efforts aim to provide clearer legal and compliance pathways for institutional capital seeking exposure to digital assets.
Decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) are another trend gaining traction within the crypto ecosystem. Flament expressed enthusiasm about DAOs and the new governance models they bring. She emphasized that the decentralised nature of DAOs is a meaningful advantage for the sector and said she plans to encourage more DAO activity on the NEAR blockchain.
NEAR, the native token of the NEAR Protocol, ranks among the larger cryptocurrencies by market capitalization and has been one of the faster-growing projects in the space. At the time of reporting, NEAR was trading at $15.69 per coin—more than 20% below its all-time high of around $20. The token has declined by over 3% in the last 24 hours, reflecting broader market weakness.
As institutional interest grows, the combination of clearer regulation, evolving governance models like DAOs, and ongoing Web2-to-Web3 migration could shape how traditional investors engage with cryptocurrencies in the months and years ahead.