#GENIUSActPass Ethereum (Ethereum - ETH)

* **Smart Contracts and Decentralized Innovation Platform:**

Ethereum is the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, but its impact goes beyond just being a currency. It is a decentralized blockchain platform that allows developers to build and deploy decentralized applications (DApps) and Smart Contracts. Its native currency, Ether (ETH), is the fuel that powers this platform, and is used to pay transaction fees and execute smart contracts. Following the "The Merge" upgrade in September 2022, Ethereum fully transitioned to a "Proof-of-Stake" mechanism, significantly reducing its energy consumption and making it more sustainable.

* **Why is it important?**

* **The largest ecosystem:** It is home to the largest and most active ecosystem of decentralized applications, including decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralized gaming (GameFi).

* **Smart Contracts:** Revolutionized how agreements and programs are executed automatically and transparently on the blockchain.

* **Continuous Innovation:** A dynamic platform attracting a massive number of developers and new projects.

* **Transition to PoS:** A pivotal step towards improving scalability and environmental efficiency.