Ethereum (Ethereum, from English ether [ˈiːθə] - “ether”) is a cryptocurrency and a platform for creating decentralized online services based on rafts (decentralized applications) built on the basis of smart contracts. 
Implemented as a single decentralized virtual machine. The concept was proposed by Vitalik Buterin at the end of 2013, the network was launched on July 30, 2015.
Ethereum emerged not so much as a payment system, but as a base for the affordable use of search technologies in third-party projects. 
Unfortunately, not only new startups show no interest, but also large investors (IBM, Intel, Microsoft), banks (JPMorgan Chase, Scotiabank, Goldman Sachs, VTB, Sberbank, payment systems (VISA, Mastercard, PayPal), social networks ( Reddit, Instagram), an airline (Lufthansa, S7), and the international charity UNICEF.