Ethereum is the first decentralized open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality, first proposed by Vitalik Buterin in a white paper at the end of 2013, and launched in 2015.

Ethereum allows anyone to deploy decentralized smart contracts and applications, serving as the foundation for an interoperable, decentralized application ecosystem driven by token economics and automated smart contracts. Assets and applications designed on Ethereum are built through automatically executed smart contracts, without the need for a central authority or intermediary. The network is powered by its native cryptocurrency ETH, which is used to pay transaction fees on the network. Ethereum is characterized by being open-source, programmable, and censorship-resistant, making it a pillar of the decentralized internet.