How to Buy NEAR (NEAR) in Australia
This guide walks you through how to buy NEAR (NEAR) safely in Australia, from opening and verifying an account to moving your coins into secure storage. It then explains what NEAR Protocol is, how its Nightshade sharding works, who created it and what the network is used for. This is general information only and not a recommendation; always do your own research before buying any cryptocurrency.
Get started
How to Buy NEAR Safely in Australia: 3 Easy Steps
To buy NEAR in Australia on Digital Surge: create a free account, verify your ID, deposit AUD by PayID or bank transfer, then place your NEAR order at the live price. The whole process usually takes about five minutes.
-
Create and verify your account
Sign up with your email, then verify your identity with an Australian ID document such as a driver's licence or passport. Turn on two-factor authentication while you're there.
-
Deposit AUD
Fund your account with PayID for a near-instant transfer, or use a standard bank transfer from your Australian bank account. There are no deposit fees either way.
-
Buy NEAR
Search for NEAR (NEAR), enter the amount of AUD you want to spend, review the order details and fee, then confirm. Your NEAR appears in your balance straight away.
On this page
Chapter 02
What is NEAR Protocol?
NEAR (also called NEAR Protocol) is an open-source Layer-1 blockchain built to make decentralised applications easier to create and to use. It launched on mainnet in 2020 and was designed from the start to handle high transaction volumes at low cost, so that on-chain apps can serve many users without slow confirmations or expensive fees. NEAR is the network's native token, used to pay fees and to help secure the chain.
Two design choices make NEAR stand out for newcomers. First, it uses a sharding system to scale. Second, it replaces long, complex wallet addresses with human-readable account names, so an account can read like alice.near instead of a long string of characters. On Digital Surge, NEAR is categorised under Artificial Intelligence, reflecting its role as a home for AI-related and Web3 projects.
- Chain: its own native Layer-1 network (NEAR is the network's coin).
- Consensus: Proof of Stake, with a sharding design called Nightshade.
- Accounts: human-readable names such as alice.near, not just long addresses.
- Created by: Alex Skidanov and Illia Polosukhin; launched on mainnet in 2020.
- Used for: fees, staking toward network security, governance and running dApps.
Who created NEAR?
NEAR was co-founded by Alex Skidanov and Illia Polosukhin, and brought to mainnet in 2020 by a group known as the NEAR Collective. Polosukhin is a former Google engineer who contributed to foundational artificial-intelligence research before turning to blockchain, which is part of why NEAR is often associated with AI-focused projects. The pair set out to fix the speed and usability limits that had held back earlier chains, with a particular focus on making the network approachable for ordinary web developers.
How does Nightshade sharding work?
Most blockchains ask every node to process every transaction, which becomes a bottleneck as usage grows. NEAR uses a sharding approach called Nightshade, which splits the network's work into parallel pieces called shards. Different shards handle different transactions at the same time, and their results are combined into a single chain of blocks, so the network can process far more activity without each participant having to do all the work. This is how NEAR aims to stay fast and low-cost even as more people use it. To build on NEAR, developers can write smart contracts in common languages such as Rust, which lowers the barrier for newcomers.
What is NEAR used for?
NEAR has a few core roles. It is used to pay the network's transaction fees, it can be staked to help secure the chain under Proof of Stake, and it is used in on-chain governance decisions. Beyond that, NEAR is the token that powers activity across its ecosystem, which spans decentralised finance, NFTs, AI-related tooling and other decentralised apps built on the network. Its human-readable accounts and low fees are meant to make those apps easier for everyday people to use. This is general information only, not a recommendation.
Can you stake NEAR?
Staking is a feature of the NEAR network itself: because NEAR uses Proof of Stake, holders can lock up NEAR to help secure the chain and may receive network rewards for doing so. That protocol-level staking is separate from what an exchange offers. On Digital Surge, NEAR is tradeable and swappable, and staking is not offered as an earn feature here. This is general information only, not a recommendation.
Risks of buying NEAR
NEAR is volatile: its value in AUD can rise or fall sharply over short periods, and there is no guarantee it will hold its value. It also competes with many other Layer-1 networks, and no chain's long-term adoption is assured. Cryptocurrency is a high-risk category, so only commit an amount you are comfortable holding through large price swings, secure your account and keys, and stay alert to scams. This is general information only and not a recommendation, and it does not take your personal circumstances into account. Consider your own situation or speak to a qualified professional before buying.
Why Buy NEAR?
Many Australians hold NEAR because it is a Layer-1 network built for scale, its Nightshade sharding is designed to keep the chain fast and low-cost, and its human-readable account names make it approachable for newcomers. Digital Surge lets you buy NEAR with AUD via PayID or bank transfer and offers Australian-based support. This is general information only and not a recommendation; consider your own circumstances before buying any cryptocurrency.
Buying NEAR in Australia: the quick recap
To buy NEAR in Australia on Digital Surge: create a free account, verify your ID, deposit AUD via PayID or bank transfer, then buy NEAR. The whole process takes about five minutes, and your NEAR is held safely in your Digital Surge wallet.
Learn more about NEAR
On Digital Surge you can see the live NEAR price and NEAR to AUD converter, see other coins in the Artificial Intelligence category, or read what cryptocurrency is before you buy NEAR in Australia.
Chapter 03
NEAR at a glance
- Market rank
- #38
- Market cap
- $3.6B
- Volume (24h)
- $581.3M
- Circulating supply
- 1.3B NEAR
1 NEAR = $2.81 AUD See the live chart and buy NEAR →
All figures in AUD · refreshed live on this page · last built 24 Aug 2026
Chapter 04
How to Store NEAR Securely
Once you buy NEAR in Australia on Digital Surge, you can store it securely in your Digital Surge wallet for easy access and trading. For additional security, you can transfer your NEAR to:
Exchange custody: convenient for buying and smaller balances
On Digital Surge you can keep your NEAR in exchange custody, where the exchange holds the keys for you. This is convenient for buying, swapping and smaller balances, and you protect your account with a strong, unique password and two-factor authentication instead of managing a recovery phrase yourself.
Self-custody wallets: control your own keys
For full control you can withdraw your NEAR to a wallet that supports the NEAR network, such as a NEAR-compatible software wallet or a hardware wallet that keeps your keys offline. Send over the NEAR network to your NEAR account, and make sure the wallet supports NEAR so your coins arrive on the correct chain.
Protect your recovery phrase and check the address
If you self-custody, write your recovery phrase down, keep it offline and never share it with anyone. Always double-check the destination account before you send, because on-chain transfers cannot be reversed and coins sent to the wrong place usually cannot be recovered.
Chapter 05
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NEAR legal in Australia?
Yes. Buying, holding and selling NEAR is legal in Australia, and cryptocurrency exchanges operating here must meet Australian know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering obligations. Digital Surge is an Australian exchange.
Can you stake NEAR on Digital Surge?
NEAR runs on Proof of Stake, so at the network level holders can lock up NEAR to help secure the chain and may receive rewards. That is a feature of the NEAR network itself, not an earn product on every exchange. On Digital Surge, NEAR is tradeable and swappable, and staking is not offered as an earn feature here.
What is Nightshade sharding?
Nightshade is the way NEAR scales. Instead of every node processing every transaction, the network is split into parallel sections called shards that handle different transactions at the same time, then combine their results into one chain. This lets NEAR handle more activity at low cost without each participant doing all the work.
What are human-readable account names on NEAR?
On many blockchains your account is a long string of letters and numbers. NEAR lets accounts use readable names, such as alice.near, which are easier to recognise and share and can reduce the chance of sending to the wrong place. When you withdraw NEAR from an exchange, you send it to a NEAR account over the NEAR network.
How do I deposit AUD to buy NEAR?
You can deposit AUD using PayID or bank transfer, both with zero deposit fees. PayID deposits typically clear quickly, so your funds are ready to use in minutes.
Do I need to verify my ID?
Yes, in compliance with Australian regulations, all users complete a quick identity verification. Most verifications are approved within minutes, so you can get started fast.