ETH

Ethereum is a decentralized, open‑source blockchain platform that enables programmable smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) to run on its global network. Its native token, Ether (ETH), is used to pay transaction “gas” fees and can serve as collateral in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, tokenized assets, and other on‑chain services. The platform’s core innovation is the Ethereum Virtual Machine, which allows developers to write and deploy self‑executing code, powering a vast ecosystem of DeFi, non‑fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organizations, and other use cases. Since the 2022 transition to proof‑of‑stake, Ethereum’s energy consumption has been dramatically reduced, and ongoing upgrades such as sharding and layer‑2 solutions aim to improve scalability and lower costs. It remains the largest and most widely adopted smart‑contract blockchain, serving as a foundational infrastructure for much of the broader crypto ecosystem.