$ETH ETH, or Ether, is the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain. Unlike Bitcoin, which primarily serves as digital money, Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source platform that enables the creation and execution of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Think of it as a global, programmable computer. ETH acts as the "gas" or fuel for transactions and operations on the network, paying for computational resources. It facilitates everything from DeFi (decentralized finance) protocols to NFTs (non-fungible tokens), making Ethereum a cornerstone of the burgeoning Web3 ecosystem and the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.