The Ethereum cryptocurrency was created in 2015 by programmer Vitalik Buterin.
After discovering the digital currency sector with Bitcoin (as many did), he decided to design a brand new protocol using a Turing-complete language, with the ambition of creating a totally decentralized and secure blockchain, which would also have the advantage of being faster and cheaper to maintain.
The Ethereum platform enables users to create smart contracts, which are proving increasingly attractive to individuals and businesses alike, and uses the “Ether” unit of account as a means of payment for these contracts, whose acronym used on exchange services is “ETH”.
This cryptocurrency very quickly became the second-largest decentralized cryptocurrency on the planet, with a capitalization hovering between €200 and €500 billion since early 2021.
Although this valuation is lower than that of Bitcoin, it is by far the second highest of the entire cryptocurrency market.
Ether alone accounts for around 20% of the global crypto market! What’s more, while Ethereum is “only” the second-largest blockchain, it is the leading one in terms of usage.
The benefits of the Ethereum blockchain
Indeed, the key difference with Bitcoin is the ability on Ethereum to create applications, stored on the blockchain itself, paving the way in particular for decentralized finance services(DeFi) and non-fungible tokens(NFT), which are developing rapidly.
Thanks to the applications available on the Ethereum platform, you can take out loans, lend money, carry out trading operations or authenticate property titles, all without going through a centralized intermediary!
It’s also possible to create new cryptocurrencies, thanks to tokenization. This makes Ethereum the most diverse and active project in the crypto ecosystem.
This flexibility and speed of processing, combined with the fundamental development of decentralized finance and the registration of title deeds, is the key to our success.
But above all, thanks to smart contracts and non-fungible tokens, Ethereum’s growing popularity is largely due to the fact that it is becoming increasingly popular with crypto investors and large companies alike, who are stepping up the number of projects linked to this platform.
Ethereum price soars
It’s not without reason that they’re rushing tobuy Ethereum, contributing to its soaring price.
The value of Ether has thus risen from just over €100 at the start of 2020, to €1,000 at the start of 2021, then to €2,000 at the start of 2022.
And while the price can fluctuate widely up and down, it continues to climb year on year. Some experts predict that the price will pass the €10,000 mark by the middle of the decade, then the €30,000 mark around 2030…
On February 11, 2025, the Ethereum price is €2,615.37.