We’re deep into the 2025 crypto cycle, and it’s clear that AI is no longer just hype it’s starting to weave into blockchain in meaningful ways. Two Layer-1 networks leading this charge are Injective and NEAR Protocol. Both are pushing hard to blend artificial intelligence with decentralized finance, but they come at it from different angles. Injective is laser-focused on high-performance trading and derivatives, while NEAR positions itself as a more general-purpose “AI blockchain” with massive scalability ambitions.
As of mid-December 2025, DeFi’s total value locked sits around $120-150 billion (down from earlier peaks but still robust), and tokenized real-world assets are gaining traction at roughly $30-35 billion. AI agents are automating everything from yield optimization to cross-chain swaps. So, which of these chains is better positioned for the long haul? Let’s break it down based on tech, ecosystems, and where they’re heading.
Injective: The Finance-First Specialist
Injective launched back in 2020 as a Cosmos-based chain aimed squarely at fixing the pain points of centralized exchanges. It’s built for speed in trading—think decentralized order books for spots, perpetuals, and futures—with zero gas fees on many trades and sub-second finality.
By late 2025, Injective has racked up impressive numbers: cumulative trading volume in the tens of billions, and it’s become a go-to for derivatives. Production TPS hovers around a few hundred, but it can spike much higher when needed, making it great for arbitrage bots and high-frequency strategies.
The big AI push came this year. Injective rolled out its native EVM layer in November, part of the MultiVM setup that lets developers mix Solidity (Ethereum-style) with WASM contracts. This bridges liquidity from Ethereum, Cosmos, and even Solana ecosystems, cutting bridging hassles dramatically.
Then there’s iBuild, launched just last month (November 2025)—a no-code tool that lets anyone describe an app in natural language, and AI (pulling from models like those behind ChatGPT or Claude) generates the contracts, UI, and more. It’s on-chain from the start, fully decentralized. Pair that with iAgent upgrades for autonomous trading bots, and projects like AI-driven perps DEXes are popping up.
Ecosystem highlights include strong RWA plays (tokenizing real assets like stocks or commodities) and partnerships for decentralized compute. INJ token sits around $5-6 with a market cap near $550 million, staking yields are solid (over 10-15% in spots), and the burn mechanism—where most protocol fees get auctioned and burned—keeps supply deflationary.
Injective feels like the sharp tool for serious traders and institutions dipping into DeFi.
NEAR: The Scalable AI Powerhouse
NEAR also started in 2020, famous for its sharding tech (Nightshade) that promises horizontal scaling without compromising decentralization. Nightshade 2.0 has been rolling out over the past year or so, introducing stateless validation and pushing shard counts higher—mainnet TPS averages in the dozens to hundreds, but testnets have hit wild numbers like 16,000+ TPS recently, with goals toward much more.
User-wise, NEAR has massive reach: millions of daily active addresses, tens of millions monthly, thanks to easy onboarding and focus on consumer apps, gaming, and social features. Chain abstraction (via Intents) lets users or agents say what they want—“get the best yield across chains”—and it just happens.
NEAR’s AI pivot ramped up in 2025 with the NEAR AI lab building open-source models and user-owned agents. Agent Hub routes tasks across LLMs reliably, and there’s work on private, on-chain training. DeFi is growing (TVL in the low billions), with integrations for autonomous brokers and wallets.
NEAR token is trading around $1.7-1.8 with a $2+ billion market cap, staking around 10%. It’s got broader appeal for everyday users and AI experiments beyond pure finance.
Comparing the Two Head-to-Head
On raw scalability, NEAR wins hands down—its sharding is designed for massive throughput, ideal for AI agents handling tons of micro-tasks. Injective is plenty fast for trading but more specialized.
For DeFi efficiency, Injective shines: its order book resists front-running better than typical AMMs, and spreads are tighter for perps. NEAR leans on AMMs and intents, which are user-friendly but can lag in pure finance sharpness.
AI tools? Injective’s iBuild and agents are tailored for DeFi automation—like natural-language trading or hedging. NEAR’s are more general: great for multichain agents, private models, or non-finance apps.
Adoption: Injective dominates niche DeFi (higher TVL in derivatives), with strong trader buzz. NEAR has way more users overall, pulling from gaming/social, but DeFi TVL trails a bit.
Token-wise, Injective’s burns and revenue share feel more aggressive right now; NEAR’s model is solid but less deflationary.
Both are secure and innovative—no major downtime issues.
Where This Might Go
By 2030, Injective could own the institutional DeFi space: tokenized assets, pro-grade derivatives, all supercharged by AI for precision trading. Its finance focus might capture a big slice of regulated markets.
NEAR, though, has the broader shot at mass adoption—user-owned AI agents running everyday finance (or beyond) seamlessly across chains.
Neither is “the winner” yet; they complement each other. Injective for the traders building sophisticated strategies, NEAR for the innovators creating the next wave of intelligent apps. In a maturing market, having both thrive could push DeFi into something truly mainstream and smart.
