http://i.imgur.com/m2dDEDz.jpg > Antshares is a decentralized and distributed network protocol which is based on blockchain technology. People can use it to digitalize assets or shares, and accomplish some financial business through peer-to-peer network such as registration and issuing, make transactions, settlement and payment. _[Source](https://bravenewcoin.com/news/antshares-sets-out-to-be-the-peoples-digital-asset-blockchain/)_ # The Rebrand On June 22nd, it was announced that [Antshares would rebrand to Neo](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/antshares-rebrands-introduces-neo-and-new-smart-economy1/), in hopes of showing the cryptocurrency world that it's not only the name that is changing, but also the blockchain platform itself. Neo, meaning newness, novelty and youth in Greek, aims to create the image of a new era of blockchain technology in hopes to carve a path for the future. Since the announcement, Antshares saw higher lows that showed a steady increase in price. http://i.imgur.com/IkAr7u6.png # Impacts to the Market As July came to a close, [CryptoNinjas](https://www.cryptoninjas.net/2017/07/27/neo-antshares-updates-rebrand-new-client-set-launch/) reported that on August 8th, Antshares will officially change to Neo. This news echoed across social media as well as the market exchanges, changing the ANS coin symbol to NEO. In addition to the name change, NEO "will be upgrade all consensus nodes to NEO 2.0". >NEO has upgraded its blockchain nodes, technical documents, social media, official site and exchange name worldwide, representing the transition from Antshares 1.0 to the NEO smart contract system 2.0. _[Source](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/neo-completes-rebranding-announces-blockchain-partnerships/)_ Following the report of the release date for the new upgrade, Antshares saw exponential growth on the markets and is currently sitting at number 10 on [CoinMarketCap](https://coinmarketcap.com/). http://i.imgur.com/oHUqdGT.png NEO is currently trading at $28 a coin and the hype is not stopping! This price hike has been exponentially increasing in the past few days. # THE FUN ISN'T OVER YET [Neo_Council on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/NEO/comments/6ry4s9/japan_the_neo_core_team_starts_out_on_an/) reports that NEO will begin an international journey to explore blockchain technologies and learn of the worlds innovation in the field. Starting with Japan on 8/8 - 8/11, NEO core team will be speaking with the most respected blockchain enthusiasts and most famous local blockchain research centers to gain insight on the latest developments. ## [Live Stream on YouTube](https://www.reddit.com/r/NEO/comments/6sss3f/trip_to_tokyo_neo_is_going_live_on_youtube_1000/) >The NEO core team will share with the NEO community enthusiasts in real time via livestream some of the interesting stories and experience. http://i.imgur.com/mHuA58D.png The live stream will be available on the **[NEO YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl1AwEDN0w5lTmfJEMsY5Vw)**. Don't miss out!! **Presenters:** NEO founders: Da Hongfei, Erik Zhang - NEO introduction - NEO smart contract - NEO development roadmap - Q&A and social networking ## **I truly believe this presentation will further cause the price of NEO to increase. There are no limits with this coin right now so HODL!!** ## Learn More About NEO - Official NEO Website: https://neo.org/ - NEO Whitepaper: https://github.com/neo-project/docs/blob/master/en-us/index.md **Cheers,** @brianjuice https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://media3.giphy.com/media/mlXdQjJ2c6D1m/giphy.gif