$ETH
Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized blockchain platform that enables developers to build and deploy smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and others, Ethereum goes beyond Bitcoin's digital currency concept by supporting programmable transactions. Its native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), is used to pay for network fees and computational services. In 2022, Ethereum transitioned from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism with "The Merge," significantly reducing energy consumption. Ethereum supports innovations like DeFi (Decentralized Finance), NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), and DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). With continued upgrades like “sharding” planned, Ethereum aims to improve scalability, security, and sustainability, maintaining its role as a foundational technology in the Web3 ecosystem.
