Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain platform that powers smart contracts and enables a wide range of Web3 applications, from DeFi to NFTs. More
Fully Diluted Valuation | $539.82B |
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24H Trading Volume | $14.46B |
24H Low / High | $4.46K / $ 4.51K |
Circulating Supply | 120.70M |
Total Supply | 120.70M |
Max Supply | ∞ |
Categories | Galaxy Digital Portfolio 12 more |
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Founder | Vitalik Buterin 4 more |
Website | ethereum.org |
Socials | 7 more |
Explorer | Tokenview 6 more |
Name | Pair | OG Score |
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Ethereum, a pioneering blockchain platform, stands as one of the most important milestones in the evolution of decentralized digital ecosystems. Launched on July 30, 2015, Ethereum introduced revolutionary capabilities, extending blockchain applications beyond cryptocurrencies. With over ten years of development (as of September 2025), the platform remains at the forefront of technological advancement and decentralized innovations.
Conceived by Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum was designed to enable a more general-purpose blockchain using smart contracts. Its successful crowdfunding campaign in 2014 marked the beginning of this ambition and raised approximately $18 million USD. Over the years, Ethereum achieved notable milestones:
2015: Ethereum's genesis block was mined, marking the birth of the blockchain.
2020: Deployment of Ethereum 2.0, introducing the Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.
2022: Completion of "The Merge," a major upgrade transitioning Ethereum entirely from Proof of Work (PoW) to PoS, significantly reducing energy consumption.
2025: Continued ecosystem expansion through Layer-2 networks, applications, and ongoing community-driven enhancements.
Smart Contract Capability
Ethereum's innovative use of smart contracts distinguished it from Bitcoin $BTC. These self-executing contracts operate automatically once predefined conditions are met, underpinning decentralized applications (dApps).
Decentralized Virtual Machine
The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) enables developers to execute smart contracts across a globally decentralized network. Its Turing completeness allows it to support a broad range of computational tasks.
Layer-2 Scaling Solutions
With increasing network demand, Ethereum supports Layer-2 solutions such as Polygon and Optimism, which reduce congestion, enhance scalability, and lower transaction costs while maintaining the security of the main chain.
Proof of Stake Consensus
Since "The Merge," Ethereum uses a minimal-energy Proof of Stake system. This not only makes the network greener but also increases its overall security and decentralization.
Financial Services (DeFi)
Ethereum powers decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, providing services like lending, borrowing, and trading without intermediaries. Over $200 billion in value is locked within DeFi ecosystems powered by Ethereum.
NFTs and Tokenization
Ethereum is the foundation for the non-fungible token (NFT) market and enables the creation and ownership of digitized assets, ranging from art to real estate. Platforms like OpenSea thrive on Ethereum’s blockchain.
Enterprise Adoption
Prominent organizations, including JPMorgan and EY, have explored Ethereum for private blockchains and decentralized identity management solutions. This makes Ethereum an integral part of their strategy for transparency and efficiency.
Utility of $ETH Token
Ethereum drives the network, enabling the payment of gas fees for executing smart contracts and utilizing dApps. It is also the medium of transacting within DeFi protocols and for staking rewards.
Supply Mechanisms
Since its switch to PoS, Ethereum introduced burning mechanisms (via EIP-1559), reducing circulating supply and bolstering token scarcity. Demand is driven by network activity, adoption of dApps, institutional usage, and staking incentives.
Developer Ecosystem
With the largest blockchain developer community globally, Ethereum remains a hub of technological innovation. Programming languages like Solidity and resources like the Builder’s Portal support developers worldwide.
Collaborations
Major businesses, governments, and initiatives such as Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) frequently align with Ethereum to adopt blockchain frameworks for logistical, financial, and technological applications.
Open Community
The project is maintained by an open-source community with strong contributions from developers, researchers, and stakeholders, ensuring dynamic growth and ethical governance.
Scaling Enhancements
Ethereum continues to explore advanced scaling solutions to manage transaction loads efficiently.
Enterprise Integrations
Growing interest from enterprises, particularly in DeFi use cases and private blockchain developments.
Sustainability Achievements
Ethereum sustains its role as an eco-conscious leader in blockchain infrastructure thanks to its low-power Proof of Stake technology.
Ethereum is not just a blockchain platform; it is a global decentralized computational network with far-reaching applications. Its ability to combine innovation with transparency ensures its foundational role in blockchain development and adoption. Whether through DeFi, NFTs, or enterprise solutions, Ethereum continues to symbolize the future of digital economies in a blockchain-powered world.
Acts as a decentralized runtime environment for executing smart contracts and dApps.
Turing complete, compatible with any computational logic.
Enables seamless integration between Ethereum and other blockchain solutions.
A portion of every transaction fee, the “base fee,” is burned.
Reduces circulating supply over time, creating deflationary pressure.
Enhances scarcity and can increase $ETH value as demand grows.
Transitioned from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS).
Reduced energy consumption by ~99.95%.
Allows validators to secure the network without high computational costs.
Process transactions off-chain while anchoring data to Ethereum’s main chain.
Reduce congestion and transaction costs.
Maintain security using Ethereum’s consensus mechanisms.
Provides ERC-721 and ERC-1155 token standards for NFTs.
Ensures compatibility, security, and transferability.
Largest NFT marketplaces (e.g., OpenSea) run on Ethereum.
Users lock $ETH into smart contracts to validate blocks.
Validators earn rewards while increasing network security.
Encourages broader participation and decentralization.
Designed specifically for developing smart contracts on Ethereum.
Optimized for EVM execution.
Simplifies creation of complex contract logic and dApps.
Enterprise frameworks like EEA provide guidelines for private deployment.
Enterprises can operate permissioned chains securely.
Maintains transparency without exposing sensitive data publicly.
Custom smart contracts enable lending, trading, and yield-farming.
Protocols like Uniswap, Aave, and Compound rely on Ethereum.
Supports trustless, permissionless financial ecosystems.
Open-source global developer community actively contributes.
Resources like Builder’s Portal, Ethereum Foundation grants, and documentation support new developers.
Ensures continuous growth and protocol improvements.
Ethereum is the first widely adopted decentralized blockchain network to support smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Its ability to enable programmable contracts has driven innovation across industries such as decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and the broader Web3 ecosystem. Powered by the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), Ethereum introduced DeFi to the world, sparking many groundbreaking ideas that continue to evolve through regular platform upgrades.
Ethereum was introduced by Vitalik Buterin, Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson, Anthony Di Iorio, and Joseph Lubin. Among them, Charles Hoskinson left early to found Cardano, and Anthony Di Iorio stepped back from active Ethereum development to pursue other ventures. Vitalik Buterin remains the leading figure in Ethereum’s development, while Gavin Wood left to create Polkadot but still influences the broader Web3 space. Joseph Lubin continues to support Ethereum through his company ConsenSys, which builds infrastructure and applications within the Ethereum ecosystem.
As of August 2025, Ethereum continues to demonstrate a robust and exceptionally active development community on GitHub. Key statistics underscore its position as a leading blockchain ecosystem:
Ethereum has attracted significant backing from leading investment firms and venture capital funds. Notable supporters include Andreessen Horowitz, Pantera Capital, Multicoin Capital, Galaxy, Paradigm, Delphi Digital, Digital Currency Group (DCG), LD Capital, Hashed Fund, CMT Digital, Electric Capital, Kenetic Capital, Jump Capital, Fabric Ventures, Maven 11 Capital, Union Square Ventures, Boost VC, 1confirmation, KR1, SNZ Holding, Placeholder Ventures, Outlier Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, 8 Decimal Capital, M31 Capital, as well as notable individual investors like George Burke, Karnika Yashwant, and Kenneth Bok. This broad and diverse support network has played a crucial role in Ethereum’s growth and ecosystem development.
Ethereum uses a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, which replaced the energy-intensive proof-of-work (PoW) system after "The Merge" in September 2022. In PoS, validators are selected to create new blocks and confirm transactions based on the amount of ETH they lock up, or “stake,” as collateral. This system drastically reduces energy consumption compared to PoW, where miners competed to solve complex mathematical puzzles using powerful hardware.
To become a validator and run a full node, users must stake a minimum of 32 ETH. Validators are incentivized to act honestly because malicious behavior can result in the loss of their staked ETH. PoS improves Ethereum’s security, scalability, and efficiency while allowing participants to earn rewards for validating transactions. Overall, Ethereum’s PoS consensus supports a more sustainable, secure, and decentralized blockchain network.
You can buy Ethereum (ETH) on Binance, Bybit, MEXCGate.ioBitget cryptocurrency exchanges.
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