"Antcoin" was the early Chinese name for NEO, the native token of the blockchain project NEO. The project was originally named Antshares and rebranded to NEO in 2017, but the name "Antcoin" is still widely used in the Chinese community.
NEO Project Overview
NEO is a smart contract platform founded by Da Hongfei and Erik Zhang in 2014. Due to its similar functionality and positioning to Ethereum, it is often referred to as "China's Ethereum." NEO's core vision is to build a "smart economy" ecosystem that integrates digital assets, digital identity, and smart contracts.
In 2021, the project completed its largest upgrade in history, N3, introducing new features such as distributed storage, oracles, and naming services, and optimizing its governance and economic models. Since then, development has focused on the Neo X EVM chain, aiming to enhance compatibility with the Ethereum ecosystem and rebuild its ecosystem.
Dual-Token Model: NEO and GAS
NEO employs a unique dual-token system:
- NEO Token: Represents ownership and governance rights within the NEO blockchain network. Holding NEO allows participation in network governance voting and automatically generates the second token, GAS.
- GAS Token: Used to pay for transaction fees, smart contract deployment, and execution fees on the NEO network. GAS is continuously generated by holding NEO.
This design separates network equity (NEO) from usage fuel (GAS), aiming for a clearer governance and economic model.
Technical Features
NEO possesses several differentiating technical features:
- Multi-language Development Support: Allows developers to write smart contracts using various mainstream programming languages such as C#, Java, Python, and Go, lowering the development barrier.
- dBFT Consensus Mechanism: Employs the delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance consensus algorithm, aiming for high transaction throughput and finality.
- Digital Identity: Combines real-world identity with digital identity, providing support for compliant application scenarios.
How to Acquire NEO Tokens
NEO can be traded on several major cryptocurrency exchanges worldwide. Common acquisition methods include:
- Purchase on Centralized Exchanges: Exchange fiat currency or other cryptocurrencies for NEO on centralized exchanges that support NEO trading pairs.
- Generate GAS by Holding NEO: Deposit NEO into supported wallets or certain exchanges to continuously earn GAS rewards.
Before trading, always verify with reliable sources whether the exchange supports services in your region and pay attention to asset security.
Ecosystem Development and Current Status
NEO's development is primarily led by the NEO Foundation, with executive bodies such as NEO Global Development. The project has a global developer community and has established an ecosystem fund to support the development of applications on its chain.
According to data from October 2026, NEO's circulating supply is approximately 70.5 million tokens, with a maximum supply of 100 million tokens. After reaching an all-time high in 2018, its price entered a long-term correction. Market attention is focused on its progress in rebuilding the ecosystem through upgrades like Neo X.
