$ETH refers to Ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum is a decentralized platform that enables developers to build and deploy smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and others, Ethereum has become the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization after Bitcoin. Unlike Bitcoin, which is primarily a digital currency, Ethereum serves as a foundation for blockchain-based innovation, including NFTs, DeFi, and DAOs. ETHis used to pay for transactions and computational services on the network. With Ethereum 2.0 upgrades, it is transitioning from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake to improve scalability and energy efficiency.