$ETH
Ethereum (ETH) is the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain, a decentralized platform for building smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum enables developers to create and deploy applications without relying on centralized intermediaries. ETH is used for transaction fees, paying for computational services, and as a store of value. Ethereum originally operated on a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism but transitioned to proof-of-stake (PoS) with the "Merge" in 2022, significantly improving scalability and energy efficiency. ETH is widely used in decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and as a foundation for blockchain innovation.
