As 2023 came to a close, Neo X, the eagerly anticipated Neo sidechain, launched a pre-alpha version TestNet. Along with the debut of Neo X, an array of new projects also joined the ecosystem, offering an early proof point of the significant ecosystem growth that Neo looks to drive in the coming year. Dive into the details of Neo's activities in this recap of the month of December. 

🗒️ Neo General Updates

HashKey Cloud Joins the Neo Council

Neo welcomed HashKey Cloud, a leading provider of global Web3 infrastructure, as the Neo Council’s newest member. This significant addition means that HashKey Cloud will be among the 21 council members responsible for maintaining the health and liveliness of the Neo network. Other Neo Council Members include notable names such as Binance Staking, Flamingo Finance, and COZ.

Neo X Pre-Alpha TestNet Launch

On December 29, Neo launched the pre-alpha version of the TestNet for Neo X, the new EVM-compatible sidechain, and invited developers to explore and test its features. Additional details about this version of the sidechain can be found here.

🙌 Community Engagement

Round-table Discussion on the Future of Public Blockchains

On December 13, John Wang, Head of Neo Ecosystem Growth and Managing Director of Neo EcoFund, participated in a Twitter Spaces round-table discussion on the future of public blockchains. Wang joined guests from two additional  public chain projects, The Open Network (TON) and layer-1 blockchain Injective. Crypto Exchange CoinEx hosted the discussion, which is available to listen on demand here.

🌳 Ecosystem News

Scan and Pay with NEO and GAS Tokens

POS25, a revolutionary payment project in the Web3 industry, has developed a seamless scan-and-pay transaction method using NEO and GAS tokens. This new capability enhances the utility of both tokens within the Neo ecosystem, furthering advancement toward the goal of a smart economy society where digital assets flow without limitations.

Update from INTOverse, a Neo APAC Hackathon Project

Neo has accepted an invitation from INTOverse, a SocialFi project recognized in the Neo APAC Hackathon: Neo claimed the top spot among the INTOverse ecosystem’s Global Nodes. As a next step,  Neo and INTOverse will work together to integrate INTO into the NeoX landscape, looking to see INTO emerge as a key player in the SocialFi sector and contribute to the decentralized future of SocialFi.

NOWNodes Support for Neo N3

NOWNodes announced full support for the RPC full node API on the Neo N3 blockchain. By accessing Neo MainNet RPC connection, developers and businesses can work with on-chain data, as well as send requests and connect to the blockchain to send NEO and GAS transactions–thus ensuring high scalability, security and transaction speed.

Neo Community Representatives on Capitol Hill

Two leaders within the Neo ecosystem, COZ and ITEM Systems co-founder and CEO, Tyler Adams, and Neo New Today editor, Dylan Grabowski, visited Washington, D.C. They joined other industry thought leaders from the state of Colorado to discuss cryptocurrency regulation and blockchain topics with Colorado’s congressional representatives. The discussions aimed to offer education about the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry and provoke a deeper understanding of how the industry impacts the issues that the lawmakers represent on behalf of their constituents.

📈 Ecosystem Project Updates

Neo News Today compiles weekly reports on the progress of various projects within the Neo ecosystem. The reports cover a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, product updates, NFT/token releases, airdrops, and other market or community activities. Please see below for the updates on projects within the Neo ecosystem for the month of December.

November 27 - December 3: Neo Global Development, WalletConnect, Forthewin Network, Flamingo Finance, Meme2Earn, GhostMarket, GrantShares, Neo SPCC, COZ, AxLabs.

December 4 - December 10: COZ, Neo News Today, GrantShares, World of Elements, Flamingo Finance. 

December 11 - December 17: Neo Global Development, Neo News Today, COZ, Flamingo Finance, Meme2Earn, Neo SPCC, AxLabs, INTOVerse. 

December 18 - December 24: GrantShares, Pixudi, nDapp.org, NOWNodes, MegaOasis, Flamingo Finance, COZ, Neo News Today.

December 25 - December 31: Neo Global Development, Battle Hardened, TOTHEMOON, World of Elements, MegaOasis, Flamingo Finance, Neo SPCC, COZ, AxLabs. 

Bidding farewell to a year filled with challenges and triumphs, Neo shared a video highlighting our ecosystem’s collective achievements. 

In 2024, we foresee progress in the blockchain and web3 industry, underscored by the SEC's approval of the Bitcoin ETF. Neo's upcoming EVM-compatible, MEV-resistant sidechain is set to play a vital role in the convergence of traditional finance and DeFi, aligning seamlessly with our vision of a smart economy. We’re honored to have you alongside us on this journey!