The competition for dominance in the cryptocurrency world isn’t as competitive as you might think. The leading contender, bitcoin, dominates the space with a market cap exceeding that of the next ten cryptocurrencies listed on CryptoSlate.
However, that doesn’t imply that bitcoin is the sole cryptocurrency worth considering. Ethereum, currently the second-largest cryptocurrency with a value hovering around $3,780 and a market capitalization of approximately $456 billion, is also gaining a lot of traction.
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While these figures fall significantly short compared to bitcoin’s nearly $118,000 price and over $2.3 trillion market cap, ethereum has emerged as a noteworthy option due to its recent performance and prospects as an attractive investment.
A significant factor in ethereum’s growth has been its appeal to large-scale and institutional investors. As Yahoo Finance recently highlighted, various companies have begun to invest in ethereum.
These include major players like Coinbase Global as well as smaller firms such as BitMine Immersion Technologies and SharpLink Gaming. Investors are drawn to ethereum for its ability to tap into the technological infrastructure that supports digital assets and decentralized finance (DeFi), as noted by Yahoo Finance.
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If you’re unfamiliar with ethereum, it operates as a decentralized peer-to-peer network allowing for the creation of alternative cryptocurrencies. Developers can build applications on this network, utilizing smart contracts, per Coinbase.
Ethereum is recognized as a frontrunner in providing infrastructure that facilitates transactions between businesses and consumers without the involvement of banks, according to Yahoo Finance.
“Ethereum allows anyone to create their own token and thereby their own community, incentivizing these communities with an economy essentially,” stated Ray Youssef, CEO of NoOnes, a crypto market platform, in an interview with Yahoo Finance. “You could argue that it offers more utility than bitcoin.”
This utility contributes to the growing interest in ethereum among investors. After hitting a low of $1,387 in early April 2025, its price has surged over 170%. While it hasn’t yet regained the all-time high it achieved in 2021, it recently reached its highest value in over three and a half years.
Experts believe that ethereum will continue gaining traction as more companies invest in it. A recent example is Bit Digital, which recently announced that it had converted its entire treasury from bitcoin to ethereum.