Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum is the leading smart-contract platform and the backbone of decentralized finance (DeFi), NFTs, and Web3 applications. Launched in 2015, it uses the Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism since “The Merge” in 2022, reducing its energy footprint and paving the way for scalability improvements like sharding. Ethereum’s virtual machine (EVM) standard has become the industry norm, enabling thousands of decentralized apps and interoperable blockchains to flourish. Its flexibility and developer ecosystem make it the primary foundation for innovation in blockchain technology.