Ether (ETH) is the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain, a decentralized platform enabling smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and others, Ethereum facilitates peer-to-peer transactions and supports decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and more. ETH serves multiple purposes: paying for transaction fees (gas), staking to secure the network, and powering dApps. In September 2022, Ethereum transitioned from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake through "The Merge," reducing energy consumption by over 99%. As of May 2025, ETH is trading at $2,590.47, reflecting renewed investor confidence following the Pectra upgrade .
