Regular listeners and readers will remember the moment when Antshares rebranded to NEO last year. NEO is China's first ever original and open source public chain project, NEO serves as a smart assets platform.

Smart assets are the combination of smart contract of blockchain and digital assets. NEO also allows for a smarter way for assets registration, issuance, and circulation. Digital assets exist in the form of electronic data and with blockchain technology, digital assets becomes decentralized, trustless, traceable and highly transparent.

NEO's underlying technology supports multiple types of digital assets and uses digital certificates to enable trust for public chain, namely the assets issued by users via digital certificate are protected by law. For more complicated scenarios, users can use smart contracts to enhance and enrich the functions of assets. Besides, users can also create smart contracts with other functions unrelated to assets.

Smart contract, a concept that was first initiated by Nick Sazbo in 1994, has a history as long as that of the Internet. According to Nick Szabo: Smart contract can execute contract clauses when the preprogrammed conditions are met.It is blockchain technology, due to its decentralization, immutability and highly reliable system that provides the very environment for smart contract to embody its value.

On my daily tech podcast, I am on a mission to learn more about how technology is transforming multiple industries in every corner of our ever-shrinking world. Rather than focussing on the buzzwords, I wanted to find out more about the impact Blockchain is having in Asia and also how it is reshaping developing countries.

I also wanted to learn more about the women making big waves in Blockchain and the evolution (so far) in the space. However, we cannot have a conversation about blockchain or crypto without exploring where mainstream adoption of these technologies are coming from.

On today's tech and crypto podcast, I speak with Tamar Salant, NEO Smart Economy- Global Business Development Manager to discuss these topics and using technology to make a difference.