Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest digital currency behind bitcoin, could be on the cusp of a major price surge if the forecast highlighted here proves accurate.“The price of Ethereum is predicted to increase significantly this year, and could hit $2,500 by the end of 2018 with a further increase by 2019 and 2020,” wrote Nigel Green, founder and CEO of deVere Group, in an email to MarketWatch.To get to $2,500, ethereum would have to more than triple from current levels. At this writing writing Friday, ethereum traded just below $654. Even if it “just” tripled from current levels, the digital currency’s market capitalization would surge to $194.31 billion from where it currently resides.Ethereum’s rise is simply jaw-dropping as there was a point last year where it traded around $8. The digital currency is blockchain-based and decentralized.
Ethereum History
“Ethereum Classic emerged as a split version of the Ethereum’s Blockchain, the other being Ethereum itself. The split occurred following a hack on Ethereum in June 2016, where $50 million worth of funds were stolen,” according to Investopedia.Many new token issuers use the ethereum network due to its robust efficiency and short processing times. Those are among the catalysts that could bolster the digital currency going forward.“This general upswing will be fueled by three mains drivers. First, more and more platforms are using Ethereum as a means of trading. Second, the increased use of smart contracts by Ethereum. And third, the decentralization of cloud computing,” according to deVere CEO Green in the MarketWatch article.The cheapest and most efficient way to obtain Ethereum Classic (ETC) is to first purchase Litecoin or Bitcoin through Coinbase (Currently Ethereum offers a much lower transfer and exchange fee than Bitcoin.)Once you have successfully purchased your Litecoin/Bitcoin you can use an exchange such as Binance or Bittrex to convert your ETH/Bitcoin to Ethereum Classic (ETC) in about 5-10 minutes (depending on the market), according to CryptoBase.