Ethereum: The Smart Contract Revolution and the New Era of Cryptocurrency

In 2013, a genius named Vitalik Buterin Kolomna drew up a visionary plan on paper, called “Ethereum's White Paper”. From this seed, Ethereum was born, an open source platform that would transform financial technology. Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum not only has a cryptocurrency, but "Smart Contracts" can also be programmed, which automate actions.


More than 120 million Ether are in circulation, but the number changes over time.



The Wonder of Ethereum: Smart Contracts and More 


Ethereum, the second cryptocurrency after Bitcoin, went live in 2015. Vitalik Buterin and his team forged it.


How does it work? It is an open source platform on its blockchain. Ether Ξ is your currency to interact with applications. It opened the door to smart contracts, tokens (such as ERC20, ERC721) for decentralized applications (dApps), decentralized finance (DeFi), and more.

 

 

Ethereum, an Evolving Ecosystem


Ethereum evolved in September 2022, adopting "proof of stake" for its consensus. Replaced the expensive "proof of work". Users can bet (stake) 32 ETH to validate transactions and create blocks, being rewarded. This is called being a validator.

 

Notable changes: 

• Energy savings of 99.95%.

• Scalability through "sharding", soon.

• Annual return when betting (staking) Ether as validator.

• Greater security.

• Deflationary network after burning ETH Ξ.


You can participate without 32 ETH, delegating your ETH to decentralized or centralized platforms.



 Ethereum, in summary 

 

• Flexibility: Adaptable to multiple needs.

• Security: Blockchain ensures transparent transactions.

• Decentralization: Avoid manipulation by being decentralized.

• Scalability: Handles high demand.

• Interoperability: Connect with other blockchains.

 

Ethereum, the birthplace of smart contracts and the crypto revolution, continues to transform how we interact with fintech.