The Chinese are particularly keen on NEO, sometimes calling it by the nickname, \"the Chinese Ethereum,\" but sources in China are increasingly concerned about regulatory threats from their government, and whether NEO will retain its prime position. Not only have Chinese authorities banned cryptocurrency trading, but fears are also being voiced by blockchain start-up companies who launched cryptocurrencies in an ICO that they might have to refund the monies raised. Since most new digital currencies use the Initial Coin Offering to raise development capital, any order to refund ICO funds would blight these budding projects and their associated coins.

NEO is an example of such a project. It is one of the oldest Chinese blockchain projects, originally launched in 2014 and known as AntShares. The NEO coins were issued in a fixed amount of 100 million native tokens, which can be staked to earn the active GAS tokens. GAS is used on the blockchain to perform and verify transactions, pay for computation and deploy smart contracts, and is separately listed on market cap rankings. Both coins are listed in the top 50 cryptocurrencies, NEO at #8 and GAS at #48.

NEO is an ICO-issued currency, but it abides by current Chinese regulations and rules relating to smart contracts, so investors hope that any ICO refund proposals will not apply.