NEAR v2.13 Upgrade: Post-Quantum Security Explained

NEAR Protocol has introduced one of its most ambitious network upgrades with version 2.13. Rather than focusing on a single improvement, this release strengthens both security and scalability through post quantum safe cryptography and dynamic resharding. 

These innovations are designed to help the network remain efficient as adoption grows while preparing for the long term risks posed by quantum computing. Here is everything investors, developers, validators, and everyday users need to know. 

Key Takeaways

• NEAR v2.13 introduces NIST-approved ML-DSA-65 quantum resistant signatures.

• Dynamic resharding enables the network to scale automatically without manual protocol upgrades.

• The upgrade improves long term security and scalability while keeping the user experience largely unchanged.

NEAR v2.13 Upgrade Explained 

source by AI Illustration

NEAR Protocol continues to position itself as one of the most technically advanced Layer 1 blockchains. 

Version 2.13 represents a significant milestone because it addresses two major challenges facing blockchain technology today: future security against quantum computers and the ability to scale seamlessly as network activity increases.

The release candidate for NEAR v2.13 was finalised on 26 June 2026, with testnet validator voting beginning on 30 June 2026. Following its standard multi week deployment cycle, the upgrade is expected to reach the mainnet after successful testing and validator approval.

The protocol version moves from 84 to 85, introducing features that many industry experts consider among the most important blockchain innovations of 2026.

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What Does the NEAR v2.13 Upgrade Include?

The upgrade focuses on two flagship improvements.

The first is post quantum safe signing, allowing users to protect their accounts with cryptography designed to resist future quantum computer attacks.

The second is dynamic resharding, enabling the blockchain to expand automatically as network demand grows without requiring lengthy governance procedures or protocol upgrades.

Together, these features improve security, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Post Quantum Safe Signing

One of the headline additions is support for ML-DSA-65, formerly known as CRYSTALS-Dilithium.

ML-DSA-65 became an official cryptographic standard after the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published FIPS-204 in August 2024. 

Unlike traditional elliptic curve cryptography such as ed25519 and secp256k1, ML-DSA-65 is designed to remain secure even if powerful quantum computers become capable of running Shor's algorithm.

This gives blockchain users a practical migration path towards stronger long term security.

Importantly, NEAR users can rotate their existing account keys to ML-DSA-65 without changing their wallet address. The migration can be completed through a single transaction, making adoption considerably easier.

However, it is important to understand that NEAR is not automatically quantum resistant today. The protocol supports quantum safe signing, but wallets, hardware devices, exchanges, and users must gradually adopt the new key type.

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Dynamic Resharding Makes NEAR More Scalable

Scalability has always been one of NEAR's strongest selling points.

The network already uses its Nightshade sharding architecture to process transactions efficiently. Before version 2.13, however, adding more shards required coordinated governance, validator upgrades, and scheduled protocol changes.

Dynamic resharding changes this completely.

Instead of relying on manual decisions, the blockchain continuously monitors each shard. When a shard reaches its configured capacity threshold, the protocol automatically creates an additional shard at the next epoch boundary.

How Dynamic Resharding Works

A useful way to understand the system is to imagine supermarket checkout lanes.

Previously, opening another checkout lane required management approval and staff coordination.

With dynamic resharding, the supermarket automatically opens another lane whenever queues become too long.

The same principle applies to NEAR.

When a shard becomes too large, chunk producers identify an appropriate boundary account and propose a deterministic split. Validators then finalise the new shard arrangement for the following epoch.

According to research supporting the release candidate, these shard splits can be completed in less than two seconds, allowing the network to respond rapidly as demand increases.

Currently, the system supports shard splitting rather than shard merging, with one split permitted per epoch.

Looking further ahead, NEAR developers believe this approach could eventually support more than 70 shards, enabling transaction throughput comparable to or even exceeding traditional payment networks.

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What Changes for Users and Validators?

For most users, the experience remains familiar.

Sending NEAR tokens, interacting with decentralised applications, staking assets, and paying gas fees all continue to function as before.

The major improvements happen behind the scenes.

Gas Fees and Network Performance

The upgrade does not introduce an entirely new gas pricing model.

Instead, automatic shard scaling reduces congestion before it becomes problematic. As the network expands naturally with increased demand, transaction fees are expected to remain more stable during periods of heavy usage.

This means users benefit from improved scalability without learning a new fee structure.

Validator Requirements

Validators face more substantial operational changes.

To remain part of network consensus, validators must upgrade their nearcore software to version 2.13 and support protocol version 85.

Dynamic resharding also introduces new infrastructure requirements.

Validators are recommended to maintain roughly twice the RAM capacity of the largest shard to accommodate future shard splits efficiently.

The validator assignment system has also become more stable, keeping parent validators assigned to newly created child shards to reduce unnecessary reshuffling after splits.

Meanwhile, hardware wallet manufacturers such as Ledger are working alongside the NEAR ecosystem to support ML-DSA keys, helping expand post quantum protection across wallets and devices.

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Market Reaction and NEAR Price Performance

Markets responded positively when NEAR announced the new features during May 2026.

Following the announcement of dynamic resharding and post quantum safe signing, the NEAR token gained approximately 27 to 30 percent within 24 hours, trading around 2.24 to 2.27 USD.

The rally made NEAR one of the strongest performing large capitalisation cryptocurrencies during that period.

Analysts attributed the momentum to several factors, including growing confidence in NEAR's technical roadmap, excitement surrounding automatic scaling, stronger long term security, and increasing institutional interest through staking investment products.

Although trading volume and derivatives activity also increased after the testnet rollout, investors should remember that short term market movements do not guarantee future price performance.

The long term value of the upgrade will depend on ecosystem adoption, wallet integration, validator participation, and continued developer activity.

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Conclusion

The NEAR v2.13 upgrade represents a significant step towards building a blockchain that is both scalable and prepared for future security challenges. 

By introducing NIST-approved ML-DSA-65 signatures alongside automatic dynamic resharding, NEAR demonstrates a forward looking approach to blockchain infrastructure. 

Users gain access to quantum resistant account protection, while the network can scale automatically as demand increases. As the ecosystem continues adopting these new capabilities, NEAR strengthens its position among leading Layer 1 blockchains. 

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FAQ

What is the NEAR v2.13 upgrade?

NEAR v2.13 is a major network upgrade introducing post quantum safe signatures using ML-DSA-65 and automatic dynamic resharding for improved scalability.

Is NEAR fully quantum resistant now?

Not entirely. NEAR supports quantum resistant signatures, but users, wallets, and hardware devices must adopt the new ML-DSA key type for full protection.

What is dynamic resharding?

Dynamic resharding allows the network to automatically create additional shards when demand increases, improving scalability without requiring manual governance.

Will gas fees change after the upgrade?

The gas pricing model remains largely unchanged. However, improved automatic scaling should reduce congestion and help keep transaction fees more predictable.

Why did the NEAR price rise after the announcement?

Investors responded positively to the introduction of quantum resistant security, automatic scaling, and the network's long term technological roadmap, leading to a strong short term price rally.

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