A decentralised, open-source blockchain with smart contracts and decentralised applications (dApps). Native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), is used to facilitate transactions on the network. Conceived by programmer Vitalik Buterin in 2013, Ethereum was officially launched on July 30, 2015. In September 2022, it transitioned from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, significantly reducing its energy consumption.