$ETH **\$ETH (Ethereum)**

Ethereum (\$ETH) is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and others. Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum is not just a digital currency—it’s a decentralized platform for building smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Its native token, ETH, is used to pay for transactions and computational services on the network. Ethereum is a key driver of innovations like DeFi (Decentralized Finance) and NFTs. In 2022, it transitioned to a more energy-efficient system called Proof of Stake (The Merge).