$ETH O Ethereum (\$ETH) is one of the most important and influential cryptocurrencies in the crypto market. Created by Vitalik Buterin and launched in 2015, Ethereum is not just a digital currency, but rather a decentralized platform based on blockchain that allows the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Its main innovation was allowing developers to create and deploy their own automated contracts without intermediaries, revolutionizing areas such as finance (DeFi), NFTs, gaming, and digital identity.

The ETH token is used to pay transaction fees (gas) on the network, making it essential for its operation. With the upgrade to Ethereum 2.0 (known as "The Merge"), the network migrated from a proof-of-work (PoW) model to a proof-of-stake (PoS) model, which drastically reduced energy consumption and paved the way for greater scalability.

Additionally, Ethereum maintains a very active developer community, with constant updates to improve speed, security, and efficiency. Its relevance goes beyond price speculation, being the backbone of much of the current Web3 ecosystem.