$ETH Ethereum is an open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). It was proposed in 2013 by Vitalik Buterin and launched in 2015. Unlike Bitcoin, which focuses on being a digital currency, Ethereum offers a complete infrastructure for running programs without relying on third parties.

The native asset of Ethereum is called ether (ETH), used to pay transaction fees and reward validators. In 2022, Ethereum changed its consensus mechanism from proof of work (PoW) to proof of stake (PoS) through "The Merge," significantly reducing its energy consumption.

Ethereum is key to the DeFi (decentralized finance) ecosystem and NFTs (non-fungible tokens), fostering innovation in sectors such as finance, art, and video games. Despite challenges of scalability and high fees, its continuous development and active community position it as one of the leading cryptocurrencies in the world.