$ETH Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized blockchain platform that revolutionized the crypto space by introducing smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and a team of developers, Ethereum enables developers to build and deploy self-executing contracts without the need for intermediaries. Its native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), is used to pay for transactions and computational services on the network. Ethereum transitioned from a Proof-of-Work (PoW) to a more energy-efficient Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism with the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade, improving scalability and sustainability. As a leading force in decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Ethereum continues to drive innovation in the blockchain industry.