Ethereum - $ETH is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation and execution of smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps). It was proposed in late 2013 by programmer Vitalik Buterin and went live on July 30, 2015. Ethereum extends the functionality of Bitcoin by allowing developers to build and deploy complex applications that operate without intermediaries.

Key Features of Ethereum:

Smart Contracts – Self-executing contracts with predefined rules, enabling automated transactions without intermediaries.

Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) – A decentralized computing environment that executes smart contracts across Ethereum nodes.

Ether (ETH) – Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency, used to pay for transactions, computational services, and staking in Ethereum 2.0.

Decentralized Applications (DApps) – Applications built on Ethereum that operate on its blockchain, avoiding censorship and downtime.

Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Consensus – With Ethereum 2.0, Ethereum transitioned from Proof-of-Work (PoW) to PoS, improving scalability and energy efficiency.

Ethereum’s Impact:

Ethereum has revolutionized industries by enabling innovations such as Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). It is one of the most widely used blockchains in the world, with a thriving developer ecosystem and continuous upgrades.