Investing.com - NEO's recent price surge has made it one of the top ten digital currencies by market capitalization.Known as the Chinese Ethereum, NEO's market cap rose above $12 billion for the first time this week.It's price has doubled since the beginning of the year, passing the $180 level. Average trading volume in the cryptocurrency is under a $1 billion dollars a day--still relatively light compared to the major digital currencies.Launched in 2014, NEO changed its name from AntShares last year. Its blockchain technology enables digital assets and smart contracts and can process more than 1,000 transactions per second. NEO has a strategic partnership with Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) China.It's holding its first global developers conference in San Francisco at the end of the month.