The programmable settlement layer for crypto.
A decentralized smart-contract platform that introduced programmable money and remains the home of DeFi, NFTs, and most stablecoin settlement.
- Founded
- July 2015
- Team
- Co-founded by Vitalik Buterin; ongoing development by the Ethereum Foundation and multiple independent client teams (Geth, Nethermind, Erigon, Besu, Reth)
- Category
- Layer 1 · Smart Contracts
Ethereum went live in July 2015, introducing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) — a globally accessible computer for running smart contracts. It is the first and largest blockchain to support general-purpose programmability and remains the settlement layer for the majority of decentralized finance, stablecoin issuance, and tokenized assets.
The network transitioned from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake in September 2022 ("the Merge"), reducing energy consumption by over 99% and introducing staking-based security. Validators secure the network by staking 32 ETH each, with over one million active validators.
Ethereum's roadmap centers on rollup-based scaling: most application activity is migrating to Layer 2 networks (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base) that batch transactions and settle to Ethereum's base layer. Future upgrades focus on data availability sampling and protocol-level account abstraction.
Ethereum is a global, open-source platform for decentralized applications. In other words, it is a decentralized blockchain platform that enables developers to build and deploy smart contracts and applications without central authority control. Unlike Bitcoin, which primarily functions as digital currency, Ethereum operates as a programmable global computer where developers can create any type of decentralized service. The platform hosts over $14 billion in DeFi applications with hundreds of thousands of active users across financial protocols, NFT marketplaces, and gaming platforms.