ETH
ETH is the native digital asset of the Ethereum blockchain, used for transaction fees, staking, and as a medium of exchange in decentralized applications.
What is ETH?
ETH is the foundational digital asset powering the Ethereum network, serving as the fuel for executing smart contracts, processing transactions, and securing the blockchain through proof-of-stake validation. As of September 16, 2025, ETH trades at $4,535 USD, with a market capitalization of $547 billion based on a circulating supply of 120,704,430 ETH.
Unlike Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million cap, Ethereum has no maximum supply, but mechanisms like EIP-1559 burn portions of transaction fees to potentially make ETH deflationary during high network activity.
ETH’s value derives from its utility in the world’s leading smart contract platform. Institutional accumulation such as BitMine’s $204 million ETH purchase, pushing exchange balances to a nine-year low of 15.72 million ETH. The all-time high for ETH stands at $4,953.73, achieved on August 24, 2025, amid broader market recovery and Ethereum’s post-Merge efficiency gains.
ETH is the second-largest digital asset by market cap, often serving as a benchmark for altcoin performance and a store of value in decentralized finance protocols.
Related Terms
Gas Price
The amount of Ether (ETH) a user is willing to pay per unit of gas for a transaction on Ethereum.
Decentralized Lending
Decentralized lending is a blockchain-based system allowing users to lend or borrow digital assets without intermediaries, using smart contracts to automate and secure transactions.
Lending Pool
A smart contract aggregating digital assets from suppliers for lending and borrowing.
OCO Order
A paired order where executing one automatically cancels the other.
Basis Point
A unit of measure equal to one-hundredth of a percentage point (0.01%), used to express changes in interest rates, yields, or spreads in finance.
Bitcoin Supply Curve and Halving
The Bitcoin supply curve is a step-wise logarithmic function that schedules the issuance of 21 million total digital assets over approximately 140 years via halvings, which reduce mining rewards every 210,000 blocks to enforce scarcity.