Disclaimer: The information provided in this report is based on data gathered on August 10, 2024. Due to the dynamic nature of the cryptocurrency market, please be aware that some details may change over time.

NEO (NEO) Research Report

Project Introduction and Brief Summary

NEO, often referred to as the “Chinese Ethereum,” is a blockchain platform designed to enable the development of decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts. Its vision is to create a “smart economy” by digitizing assets, automating the management of digital identities using blockchain technology, and facilitating trust-free transactions through smart contracts.

Project Release Date & Token Release Date

• Project Release Date: NEO was initially launched as AntShares in 2014. It was rebranded to NEO in 2017.
• Token Release Date: The NEO token (NEO) was released in 2016.

Market Data

• Market Capitalization: $594,792,965 (August 10, 2024)
• Current Price: $8.63 (August 10, 2024)
• Exchanges: NEO is listed on several major exchanges, including Binance, Huobi Global, OKX, KuCoin, and Gate.io

Competitors

• Ethereum (ETH)
• EOS (EOS)
• TRON (TRX)
• Qtum (QTUM)
• Ontology (ONT)

Use Cases

NEO supports a wide range of use cases, including:

• Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Building decentralized financial applications, such as lending platforms, exchanges, and stablecoins
• Digital Identity: Creating and managing digital identities on the blockchain for secure and verifiable identification
• Supply Chain Management: Tracking and tracing goods throughout the supply chain to ensure transparency and authenticity
• Gaming: Developing blockchain-based games with provable ownership of in-game assets

Technology

NEO utilizes a unique dual-token system:

• NEO: This token represents ownership in the NEO network. Holders have voting rights and receive GAS as dividends.
• GAS: This token is used to pay for transaction fees and deploy and execute smart contracts on the NEO blockchain.

NEO’s technology also features:

• dBFT Consensus Mechanism: A Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus mechanism that enables high throughput and finality
• NeoVM: A lightweight, universal virtual machine that supports multiple programming languages, making it easier for developers to build on NEO
• NeoFS: A distributed storage network that provides decentralized and secure file storage

Smart Contracts and Audits

NEO supports smart contracts written in various programming languages, including C#, Java, Python, and Go. Several audits have been conducted on NEO’s smart contract system, ensuring its security and reliability. You can find audit reports on the NEO website or through third-party security firms.

Investors or Partners

NEO has established partnerships with various organizations, including:

• Microsoft: Collaborated on the NEO Blockchain Toolkit
• Onchain: The core developer team behind NEO
• CoZ: A venture capital firm focused on blockchain technology

Recent news reports highlight NEO’s involvement in the development of the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) in China, a national infrastructure project aimed at promoting blockchain adoption.

Presale/ICO/Seed Rounds

NEO did not conduct a traditional ICO. The initial NEO tokens were distributed through a private sale and airdrop.

Token Distribution

• 50% – NEO Council
• 10% – NEO Developers and Council Members
• 15% – Ecosystem Development
• 10% – Marketing and Operations
• 15% – Contingency

Token Economics and Vesting Schedule

NEO has a fixed total supply of 100 million tokens. The NEO Council holds 50% of the tokens, with a portion vested over time to ensure long-term commitment. The remaining tokens were distributed as mentioned above, with specific vesting schedules for each category.

Roadmap

NEO’s roadmap outlines its key milestones and future developments. While some milestones have been achieved, others are still in progress. You can find the detailed roadmap on the NEO website, which highlights upcoming features and upgrades.

Team Members

• Da Hongfei: Founder of NEO and Onchain
• Erik Zhang: Co-founder of NEO and Onchain
• Other notable team members: You can find a comprehensive list of NEO team members on their website, often with links to their LinkedIn profiles.

References

• NEO Official Website: https://neo.org/
• NEO on CoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/neo/