Prediction: This Cryptocurrency Will Outperform Bitcoin in 2027

The surprise turnaround of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), which soared more than 40% in Q3, has been the talk of the crypto market. That performance is impressive, but it doesn't even come close to some of the stellar gains posted by other, more speculative cryptocurrencies.

Case in point: NEAR Protocol (CRYPTO: NEAR) is up 173% over the past 90 days, and nearly 200% for the year. That's not a fluke performance, either. There's plenty of reason to think that this cryptocurrency will outperform Bitcoin in 2027 as well.

The best AI crypto you can buy?

The case for buying NEAR Protocol comes down to two simple words: artificial intelligence. That's because NEAR is a Layer-1 blockchain network optimized for the AI agent economy. Long story short, if millions of AI agents are going to be transacting online, they can now use the NEAR blockchain.

In fact, NEAR is touting itself right now as "the currency of agents." Other investors have referred to NEAR as "the future of AI money."

Image source: Getty Images.

That helps explain why NEAR Protocol's price performance has been off the charts recently. Despite all the talk of a potential AI bubble, the AI investment thesis remains one of the few driving positive returns in the crypto market right now.

NEAR Protocol, with a market cap of $6 billion, has become the top AI crypto. Its closest rival is Bittensor, with a market cap of $3 billion. A distant third is Venice Token, with a market cap of $1 billion.

What could go wrong?

Admittedly, there's reason to be concerned about AI cryptos such as NEAR. For one, the AI boom could turn into an AI bust. If that's the case, then NEAR would likely crater in value, as investors head for the exits. Bitcoin would likely feel some near-term pain, too, but it has always held up better than smaller, riskier altcoins during market crises.

Secondly, even if the AI boom persists through 2027, it's quite possible that the narrative around AI agents turns negative, and investors hunt for another "flavor of the month." Investors have seen this story over and over again. One notable example is Virtuals Protocol (CRYPTO: VIRTUAL), which was one of the top-performing cryptocurrencies of 2024 before falling off a cliff in 2025. VIRTUAL, too, was a bet on the future of AI agents.

That said, there are several reasons to believe NEAR can maintain its momentum into 2027 and beyond. A new spot NEAR ETF launched in September, a welcome sign of growing institutional demand for the token. And NEAR Protocol continues to recycle protocol revenue into token buybacks, helping maintain a floor under NEAR's price.

At a time when Bitcoin investors may need to settle for annualized returns of 10% going forward, there simply seems to be much greater upside with NEAR Protocol. Yes, it's a risky, highly speculative play on the future of AI. But as long as the AI trade is running hot, NEAR Protocol offers the potential for much higher returns than Bitcoin in 2027.

Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Bittensor, NEAR Protocol, and Venice Token. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.