Ethereum (ETH) was proposed in late 2013 by Vitalik Buterin, a cryptocurrency researcher and programmer. The development of Ethereum was crowdfunded in 2014, and the network went live on July 30, 2015, with 72 million coins premined. Ethereum's launch represented a significant milestone in the cryptocurrency world, introducing not only a new digital currency but also a platform for decentralized applications powered by smart contracts. Its ability to execute smart contracts, which are programmable self-executing contracts with the terms of an agreement directly written into code, distinguished Ethereum from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Since its inception, Ethereum has been a major player in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, supporting thousands of decentralized applications and becoming a backbone for the growing decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.

Ethereum (ETH) was proposed in late 2013 by Vitalik Buterin, a cryptocurrency researcher and programmer. The development of Ethereum was crowdfunded in 2014, and the network went live on July 30, 2015, with 72 million coins premined. Ethereum's launch represented a significant milestone in the cryptocurrency world, introducing not only a new digital currency but also a platform for decentralized applications powered by smart contracts. Its ability to execute smart contracts, which are programmable self-executing contracts with the terms of an agreement directly written into code, distinguished Ethereum from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Since its inception, Ethereum has been a major player in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, supporting thousands of decentralized applications and becoming a backbone for the growing decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.