Ethereum Ecosystem in 60 Seconds

NEO, ‘China’s Ethereum public blockchain’, continues to rise cryptocurrency rankings, and is also seen by some as having advantages over Ethereum. NEO’s compiler allows for high level languages like Python and Go, and the NEO contract supports popular languages like C# and Java. NEO also integrates digital assets with smart contracts and digital identity.
For details: https://www.inc.com/brian-d-evans/the-ethereum-of-china-neo-is-now-a-top-10-cryptocu.html

Two Australian lawmakers are garnering legislative support allowing the central bank to tokenize the national currency. One path is to follow the Singapore model of tokenizing the Australian dollar on the Ethereum blockchain
For details: https://www.ethnews.com/australia-sees-bipartisan-effort-to-establish-virtual-national-currency

Ether is now accepted as means of payments by Overstock which is relying on ShapeShift to make the instant exchange. In addition to Ether, Overstock will accept other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, bitcoin dash, Litecoin, Dash, and Monero.
For details: https://www.coindesk.com/ether-litecoin-overstock-now-accepts-cryptocurrencies-payment/

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) approval of LedgerX as a cryptocurrency derivatives platform may come with substantial regulatory requirements. But it could also bring more institutional liquidity and transparency to bitcoin markets, which would alleviate concerns cited by the SEC when it rejected the Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF.
Reference: https://www.coindesk.com/icos-dcos-dawn-cleared-crypto-derivatives/

UNICEF’s current exploration of Ethereum is an expansion of the UN’s blockchain agenda that included use case such as sending funds to Syrian refugees and helping expa workers send remittances. UNICEF’s first blockchain investment was 9Needs, which creates distributed educational resources for children.
For details: https://www.coindesk.com/unicefs-venture-arm-trials-ethereum-smart-contracts/

U.S. General Services Agency (GSA) published a web portal showing possible federal government use cases for blockchain, among the services are procurement, foreign aid and visa issuance. Earlier in July the GSA hosted a blockchain session for federal agencies, exploring ways to integrate distributed ledgers.
For details: https://www.coindesk.com/us-officials-eye-blockchain-applications-visas-foreign-aid/

Forbes Magazine writes that venture capitalists are being attracted to ICOs due to less requirements that tie up capital like in a traditional IPO. The liquidity of cryptocurrency markets also allows ICO players to convert profits to Bitcoin or Ether and back to fiat instantly.
For details: https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2017/08/08/what-venture-capitalists-see-in-bitcoin-ethereum-litecoin-and-other-digital-currencies/