Ethereum

ETH

BUY ETHEREUM

$2,343.52

$14.63(+0.62%)Today

Market cap

282.77B

Total volume (24h)

16.29B

Volume / Market cap

0.0576

Circulating supply

120.69M

Day range (24h)

$2,313.90$2,379.62

All-time low

$0.433

All-time high

$4,946.05

About Ethereum (ETH)

Current ETH Price: $2,343.52 | April 16, 2026  | Market cap: $282,774,699,061.

What is ETH?

Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain network and the world's leading platform for digital smart contracts, conceived in 2013 and launched in 2015. Its native token, ETH (pronounced "Eee-th"), acts like fuel that powers the entire ecosystem.

What is a smart contract?

A smart contract is a digital agreement written in computer code that lives on a blockchain like Ethereum.  It automatically does something when certain conditions are met. For example: If you send me 1 ETH, the smart contract instantly sends you a digital artwork (NFT). The code follows its programmed rules automatically, 24/7. No human involvement is needed.

Ethereum's network is a vast, secure, public ledger that records every transaction. Traditional smart contracts follow their original rules, and can’t be changed once executed. Upgradable smart contracts can be updated for new features or bug fixes.

What is Ethereum known for?

Ethereum powers the world's largest DeFi economy across 100+ EVM Layer 2 networks (L2s) and thousands of EVM-compatible chains, delivering 100,000+ TPS total capacity. It pioneered smart contracts (2015) and hosts the most active global developer community (60%+ market share).

Real-world Ethereum ecosystem performance:

- Base layer: ~15 TPS, battle-tested security

- L2s: Fast transactions

- Ecosystem: Thousands of decentralized applications, $2T+ all-time volume processed

Recent & planned upgrades: Pectra (live May 2025), Fusaka (live Dec 2025), Glamsterdam (live by May 2026, with ePBS for MEV resistance), Hegota (live by 2026 with Verkle Trees for state growth).

How does DeFi impact the price of ETH?

Decentralized finance apps are one of Ethereum's top use cases today, and allow you to buy, sell, trade, and stake assets like ETH without intermediaries or banks. To start buying, selling, or trading ETH, all you have to do is connect to a leading crypto wallet like MetaMask.

DeFi is a global financial system, and an alternative to TradFi that is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, open 24/7 worldwide.

HOW TO BUY ETHEREUM

Price history

Today (April 16, 2026)	$2,343.52	+0.62%
24 hours ago (April 15, 2026)	$2,328.99	+0.62%
1 week ago (April 9, 2026)	$2,181.14	+7.44%
1 month ago (March 17, 2026)	$2,314.98	+1.23%
1 year ago (April 16, 2025)	$1,577.61	+48.55%

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ETH market moves

AI summary for information only. Not financial advice.

24h change: +0.76%. From $2,336.38 to $2,354.12.

is committing $3 billion worth of ETH, sourced from 2.8 million staked ETH, as validator liquidity to ETHGas over three years. The partnership develops forward markets for Ethereum blockspace, providing predictable revenue for validators and execution certainty for institutions. This bolsters Ethereum's infrastructure for institutional adoption.
Ethereum treasury firm Bitmine, the largest corporate ether holder, posted a $3.8 billion quarterly loss in its Q1 filing. The loss occurs during its shift from mining operations to ETH accumulation. It underscores financial pressures on corporate ETH strategies.
U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs have seen net inflows for four consecutive days, totaling over $212 million during the streak. On April 14, ETH ETFs recorded $53 million inflows as price climbed above $2,310. This indicates renewed institutional interest amid sentiment recovery.

April 16, 2026

24h change: -1.41%. From $2,369.59 to $2,336.11.

Ethereum led gains among major cryptocurrencies with a 7.7% increase to $2,366, outperforming Bitcoin. This triggered $430 million in short position liquidations across exchanges. The rally signals improving sentiment after recent declines.
ETH opened up 8.1% at $2,370 despite US blockade in the Middle East. Bitcoin also rose 5.2% in the rebound. Markets show resilience to geopolitical risks.
BitMine made its largest ETH purchase of 2026, adding over 40,000 ETH. Recent buys include $169 million by Tom Lee's firm. Fed nominee disclosed ETH holdings amid growing interest.

April 15, 2026

24h change: -0.52%. From $2,215.38 to $2,203.96.

US and Iranian negotiators failed to resolve war risks, including a US maritime blockade, causing ETH and other cryptocurrencies to drop. Markets remain sensitive to geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Ongoing tensions could influence short-term price action.
The Ethereum Foundation staked an additional 45,034 ETH worth $93 million, completing its 70,000 ETH goal totaling around $143 million. Validators lock ETH to secure the proof-of-stake network. This strengthens Ethereum's decentralization and reliability.
Bitmine Immersion Technologies added 71,252 ETH last week, its largest purchase since December, amid NYSE listing plans. The firm's treasury now holds 4.8 million ETH. This reflects sustained institutional demand for Ethereum.

April 13, 2026

24h change: -0.89%. From $2,236.50 to $2,216.52.

The Ethereum Foundation sold 1,250 ETH for about $2.8 million in DAI on April 11, after swapping 5,000 ETH to stablecoins days earlier for grant funding. This follows staking nearly $93 million worth earlier in April to reach its 70,000 ETH target. These adjustments support ongoing development while staking nears 30% of supply.
Ethereum's price rose 6% in the week ending April 11 to above $2,200, breaking three major milestones amid broader market recovery. Daily trading volume reached $12 billion with modest gains continuing into April 12. This follows geopolitical ceasefire news impacting crypto sentiment.

April 12, 2026

24h change: +2.31%. From $2,185.85 to $2,236.36.

Ether surged past $2,200 following the announcement of a US-Iran ceasefire. Traders opened significant new long positions in perpetual futures, with open interest rising by over $2 billion. This eased geopolitical tensions impacting markets.
Japan's cabinet approved a bill to classify crypto assets like ETH as financial products under securities law. This is the first time cryptos receive such regulation in Japan, aiming to curb insider trading. The change could enhance legitimacy and oversight.
The Ethereum Foundation staked an additional $93 million in ether, reaching its 70,000 ETH target. This increases the amount of ETH securing the network through proof-of-stake. Staking by the foundation supports long-term protocol security.

April 11, 2026

Social recap

Data powered by Brandwatch.

Total posts

108,711

Reddit posts

1,876

X posts

101,951

News articles

2,127

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You can buy Ethereum (ETH) directly on your MetaMask wallet in just a few taps, without going through a centralized crypto exchange. MetaMask supports local and global payment methods such as credit card, debit card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and other regional options, depending on your country or state. Buying ETH in MetaMask helps you avoid extra steps, reduce fees, and instantly receive Ether in your self‑custodial crypto wallet, so you stay in control of your assets.
Bridging crypto across chains allows you to move tokens from one network to another. With MetaMask, bridging Ether (ETH) is easy, secure, and cost-effective. Our aggregator finds the most efficient routes to move your digital assets from one chain to another. And with cross-chain swapping, bridging and swapping can take place at the same time in a single transaction. Meaning: instead of bridging one token from chain A and wrapping or unwrapping it on network B, you can swap one token from network A to a second token on network B, all in one move.
Staking ETH is a way of putting your crypto to work and receiving APY while securing the Ethereum network at the same time. MetaMask offers you three different ways to stake your Ether (ETH) depending on your preferences and funding:
- Pooled staking: Deposit any amount of ETH to stake via MetaMask, and receive daily yield. Unstake at any time.
- Validator staking: Deposit 32 - 2048 ETH per validator node, and let MetaMask run it for you. Receive yield every 10 days. Unstake at any time.
- Liquid staking: Deposit any amount of ETH to stake via third-party providers. Receive liquidity tokens representing staked value, and daily yield. Unstake at a time that is partner dependent.
With ETH, you can access DeFi platforms for trading and lending, buy and sell NFTs, play web3 games, manage your digital identity, and much more via thousands of apps and platforms. ETH can be used to cover transaction fees, send money to others, add to liquidity pools, stake for yield, or put up as collateral for loans. MetaMask makes it easy by combining buying, trading swapping, bridging, app connections, and crypto wallet management all in one place.
The Pectra upgrade, which went live on May 7 2025, is an Ethereum update that made the network faster, more user-friendly, and expanded staking capabilities. In other words, Pectra improved how Ethereum validators handle ETH, sped up transactions, and set the network up for future growth. Pectra is a key step in Ethereum's long-term plan to stay secure, efficient, and open to users and developers globally. Explore the Pectra upgrade in depth .
Ethereum’s upgrade after Pectra is the Fulu-Osaka upgrade, aka the Fusaka upgrade.
Fusaka, which went live on December 3 2025, is an Ethereum update that focused on increasing the EVM’s scale—with better speed, more efficient processing, and smoother Layer 2 integrations. It builds on Pectra's changes like allowing up to 2048 ETH staked per validator, easier withdrawals, and simpler account features, while adding improvements in data handling, transaction volume, and performance across networks. The goal was to achieve fewer transaction delays, cheaper costs to use popular apps, stronger security, and further growth without losing decentralization.
Glamsterdam, which is expected to launch by May 2026, and will bring in-protocol changes like enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) to build blocks directly on Ethereum, cutting down on centralized control and Maximum Extractable Value (MEV). It adds tools like block-level access lists to manage data and keep regular computers able to run nodes, even with more load from Fusaka updates. This pushes Ethereum toward its Surge, Verge, and Purge goals with higher transaction speeds, more decentralization, and readiness for over 100,000 transactions per second on Layer 2 networks.

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ETH Sentiment

AI ETH updates powered by Brandwatch. Not financial advice. Last updated on March 11, 2026.

Bullish ETH indicators

ETH is participating in Bitcoin-led rallies, signaling cross-market demand. Bitcoin +2.1%, ETH +2.3% to $2,052.07 in recent coverage. (Source)

High trading liquidity supports execution and narrower spreads for ETH traders. 24h volume $20.16B equals about 8.1% of market cap $248.10B.

Bearish ETH indicators

ETH fell 4.89% to $1,978.74 in a broad risk-off move triggered by surging oil prices. Macro-driven selloffs have historically increased short-term volatility across crypto markets. (Source)

Strong dollar demand has pressured crypto, and coverage notes ether declines amid USD gains. ETH is down 0.91% 24h and down 1.61% 7d. (Source)

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