$ETH

Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and others. Unlike Bitcoin, which primarily serves as a digital currency, Ethereum enables developers to build and deploy smart contracts—self-executing code that runs on the blockchain. Its native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), is used to pay for transactions and computational services on the network. Ethereum powers a vast ecosystem of decentralized applications (dApps), including DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs. It transitioned to a proof-of-stake consensus model in 2022 (Ethereum 2.0), reducing energy use and aiming to improve scalability, security, and sustainability of the network.