NEAR Co-founder Calls for Proactive Industry Action on Crime
NEAR Protocol (NEAR)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
lookonchain.com reports that NEAR Protocol co-founder Illia Polosukhin argues the crypto industry must mature or risk marginalization without targeted regulation. He asserts that decentralization does not equal disorganization, challenging the idea that decentralized systems cannot take action. Polosukhin contrasts crypto with banks, noting that while banks use AI for fraud detection, their centralized KYC systems fail to address core issues.
He suggests crypto’s richer data and talent pool can build systems that curb criminal activity without KYC, protecting legitimate users. The co-founder believes industry collaboration can gradually root out crime, noting the market size of criminal activity is small compared to overall on-chain economic activity. This stance comes as the industry faces a choice between further maturation or being sidelined.
Polosukhin emphasizes that the claim decentralized systems cannot act is untrue. He highlights the potential for effective, freedom-preserving crime prevention through collective effort. The industry is urged to proactively curb criminal activities to ensure its long-term viability. This perspective positions crypto as capable of sophisticated self-regulation without losing its decentralized nature.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for NEAR, measured when this story was written up on 29 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
NEAR is trading at $4.82 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 47.8%, indicating a slight bearish tilt compared to the 1-hour ratio of 46.8%. The 4-hour buy ratio sits at 50.1%, showing a brief period of balanced activity before selling pressure resumed. Volume Delta for the 1-hour period is -$285,732, reflecting immediate selling, while the 4-hour delta is positive at +$32,883. Over 24 hours, the Volume Delta is -$10,091,046, and the Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) closed at -$8,064,746, confirming net outflows. The buy ratio measures the proportion of buy volume to total volume, while Volume Delta shows the net difference between buy and sell volume. Buying pressure is fading as the 24-hour metrics show more selling than the shorter-term 4-hour snapshot.
The latest daily buy ratio of 50.8% sits at the 68th percentile of the last 323 days, against a median of 49.7% - ordinary for this coin.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for NEAR, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, NEAR saw a 7-day average buy ratio of 51.3%, compared to today’s 47.8%, a drop of 3.5 percentage points. Spot volume today is 0.83x the weekly average, indicating lighter trading activity than usual. The coin experienced net buying on 5 of the last 7 days, with a total Volume Delta of +$39,404,272 over that period. This suggests the current day is less active and more sell-heavy than the recent weekly trend. The price rose 12.9% over the 8-day period, but today’s negative delta marks a shift from the prior week’s accumulation.