This NEAR EVM Chain is having a crazy day

Aurora and Its Native Token Are Moving

@Auroraisnear, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) built on top of @NearProtocol, is one of the standout movers in crypto markets today. The protocol's native asset, $AURORA, has surged more than 200% in the past 24 hours and is up approximately 670% over the past 30 days, according to CoinGecko data.

Trading data from KuCoin shows AURORA/USDT up 163% over the past 24 hours at the time of reporting, with trading volume rising over 1,600% from the prior day, signalling a sharp uptick in market activity. Coinbase data ranks $AURORA first in Layer 1 price growth across all timeframes, with daily gains vastly outpacing peers including $NEAR.

Aurora operates as an EVM implemented as a smart contract on the NEAR Protocol, designed to let developers run Ethereum-compatible apps on a high-throughput platform with low transaction costs. The network's core infrastructure includes the Aurora Engine, a high-performance EVM, and the Aurora Bridge, which facilitates trustless transfers of ETH and ERC-20 tokens between Ethereum and Aurora.

On-Chain Activity Backs the Price Action

The price move is not happening in a vacuum. According to DefiLlama, Aurora's total value locked (TVL) rose 11% in the past 24 hours, with DEX volume up 234%, driven by decentralised applications including Trisolaris and WannaSwap. That level of on-chain activity suggests genuine user engagement rather than speculation alone.

The broader NEAR ecosystem is also showing momentum. NEAR's Intents layer TVL surged to $169 million, a 77.2% increase over 30 days, and the network has settled over $30 billion in total cross-chain volume, with more than $1 billion processed in the week to September 19, 2026.

Still, context matters. Aurora raised $12 million in 2021 from investors including Pantera Capital, Electric Capital, and Dragonfly Capital, and was positioned as a key entry point for Ethereum developers building on NEAR. Aurora's TVL peaked at roughly $2.5 billion in 2022 before declining sharply, meaning today's activity, while notable, reflects a recovery from deeply depressed levels rather than a new peak. As with any sharp altcoin move, traders should weigh the momentum against the broader context before drawing conclusions.

Sources:
CoinGecko: Aurora (AURORA) Price and Market Data
CryptoTimes: Aurora Mainnet Recovers From Brief Outage With TVL 99% Below Peak
InteractiveCrypto: NEAR Protocol Utility Soars Amid Price Dip