Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz Joins the NEAR Foundation Council
The head of Solana infrastructure firm Helius now has a seat on the body that oversees the NEAR Foundation and its biggest decisions.
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Key takeaways
- Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius, has joined the NEAR Foundation Council.
- The Council oversees the foundation and its most significant decisions.
- Helius is best known as a Solana infrastructure company, so the appointment crosses ecosystem lines.
- The source gave no details on his term, other members or any policy plans.
Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius, now sits on the NEAR Foundation Council. That's the group that oversees the foundation and signs off on its most significant decisions. The news was reported on October 15, 2026.
That's the extent of the confirmed detail. No word on how long he'll serve. No word on who else is on the Council. And nothing on what he's expected to focus on.
Who is involved
Mumtaz runs Helius, a company that builds infrastructure for developers. NEAR Foundation is the organization that supports the NEAR ecosystem. Its Council sits at the top of the decision-making chain.
Why it matters
Council seats shape where a foundation spends its money and which bets it makes. Add a founder-CEO who runs a developer infrastructure business, and you get an operator's view in the room, not just a governance one.
For NEAR holders, the real question is whether anything changes in practice: grants, developer tooling, partnerships. The announcement says nothing on that yet. So watch the next Council decisions. They'll show whether this is a symbolic hire or a working one.
Source: The Block
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