Ethereum breaks through $1000 USD value, approaching $100 billion market cap.

The brainchild of Vitalik Buterin, the Ethereum smart contract cryptocurrency joined the elite ranks of $1000 currencies today.

A single year ago, on this day, Ethereum was trading for about $10. Since then, hundreds of tokens have been built using the smart contract under-pinnings of the Ethereum blockchain. The emergence of ICO's in 2017 spurred on the value of the technology, along with the mass-market adoption of blockchain in general.

Recent Ethereum-based apps such as Crypto-Kitties have shown the unique advantages of blockchain technology in that digital items created on the blockchain can not be counterfeited or duplicated. As much as the game is arguably inane and inconsequential, the implications of the utility and value of Ethereum-based apps are far-reaching.

Competitors such as Cardano - dubbed Japan's Ethereum-killer - will spur on further development in the field of smart contract technology. In 2018, we will begin to see more implementation of these concepts. It will be a year that witnesses the testing out of these ideas in the real world. For many Ethereum-based technologies, it could be a make-or-break year. It will be fascinating to see where Ethereum leads us in the months ahead.

source:

http://www.altcointoday.com/etheruems-current-issues/