Bitwise Launches NEAR ETF, With 33% of Staking Rewards Going to Fees… | Global Crypto Press | Crypto News Today

Bitwise’s new NEAR fund brings staking to brokerage accounts, but a third of the rewards is earmarked for fees.

The Bitwise NEAR ETF launched on NYSE Arca on September 29, 2026, under the ticker NRR. Bitwise describes it as the first spot NEAR exchange-traded product in the United States. Its launch announcement highlights network staking rewards of roughly 5%. Investors comparing that figure with the fund’s 0.75% annual management fee need to account for a separate charge on the staking rewards themselves.

The prospectus, dated September 24, assigns 33% of the additional NEAR generated by staking to staking expenses. Those fees are shared among the staking agents, the custodian and the sponsor. The trust keeps approximately 67% of the staking rewards. That split does not replace the annual management fee. It means a headline network reward rate cannot be read as the return an NRR shareholder will receive.

How the staking arithmetic changes

A simple illustration shows the difference. If the gross staking rate stayed at exactly 5%, retaining 67% would leave 3.35% before the management fee. Subtracting 0.75 percentage points gives roughly 2.60%, assuming the entire holding stayed staked for a year and ignoring compounding, other costs and token-price changes. That is an illustration of the fee arithmetic, not a forecast or a quoted fund yield. Actual results depend on how much NEAR is staked, the rewards earned and the value of those tokens.

Bitwise’s approximately 5% figure is an annualized network rate measured as of September 25. The company says rewards accrue through the fund’s net asset value per share, so the figure should not be mistaken for a promised cash payout. Its stated plan is to use its institutional staking team. The announcement does not establish a full year’s realized results for this newly launched product. A lower NEAR price can also outweigh the value of additional tokens earned through staking.

The AI pitch still needs to deliver

Bitwise is marketing NEAR as infrastructure for an economy in which AI agents make payments and coordinate transactions. The fund gives brokerage investors another route to express that investment view. It does not establish how much future business those agents will bring to the network. Nor does an exchange listing turn expectations about AI adoption into earnings for token holders. The investment case still depends on demand for NEAR, while the fees apply regardless of whether the AI story delivers.

For traders, the practical comparison is the convenience of holding fund shares against the cost and responsibilities of holding and staking tokens directly. NRR’s shares can trade above or below the value of the assets they represent. The product also lacks the same protections as funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. As trading develops, watch the bid-ask spread and the fund’s reported staking participation alongside the management fee. The useful number is the reward that actually reaches the fund after costs, considered together with NEAR’s price performance.