Bitcoin Holds Above $81,000 as NEAR Surges 23% on Zcash Swap Traffic

Bitcoin above $81,000 — Bitcoin traded above $81,000 early Monday, extending gains after a key regulatory development, while NEAR Protocol surged 23% on heavy cross-chain swap activity involving Zcash.

Bitcoin’s price held just above the $81,000 mark during Asian trading hours, adding to momentum built since Thursday. The move followed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission clearing a path for onchain trading of tokenized U.S. stocks, a development that helped spur a short squeeze in the market.

NEAR was the standout performer among major altcoins, jumping roughly 23% to trade above $4. The surge was attributed to its cross-chain swap service attracting significant trading volume for Zcash (ZEC). Data showed a sixfold increase in daily ZEC volume being routed through the NEAR platform.

Broader financial markets also showed positive sentiment, with Asian stocks and U.S. equity futures rising. The gains followed encouraging progress in trade talks between Washington and Beijing, while falling oil prices helped ease some inflation concerns.