Ethereum Classic 

ETC Price

What is the Ethereum Classic (ETC) coin?

Ethereum Classic (ETC) is the original, unmodified Ethereum blockchain, continued by a minority community after the July 2016 DAO hard fork. The network runs as a Proof-of-Work smart-contract platform secured by miners, and its Ethereum Virtual Machine is at parity with Ethereum — Ethereum dApps deploy with minimal changes. ETC ("classic ether") is the native asset on Chain ID 61. After Ethereum switched to proof-of-stake in 2022, Ethereum Classic became the largest Proof-of-Work smart-contract platform.

How is Ethereum Classic different from Ethereum?

Ethereum Classic kept the unaltered pre-hack chain; Ethereum hard-forked to reverse a theft. In June 2016, The DAO was exploited for roughly 3.6 million ETH. The Ethereum majority reversed the theft at block 1,920,000 on 20 July 2016. A minority rejected the reversal and continued the original chain as Ethereum Classic under the "code is law" immutability principle. Ethereum Classic still uses Proof-of-Work mining, while Ethereum runs on proof-of-stake. Ethereum Classic caps supply at 210.7 million ETC; Ethereum has no supply cap.

Does ETC have a max supply?

Ethereum Classic has a maximum supply of 210,700,000 ETC — per DropsTab data, both maximum and total supply are set at this figure. The cap is asymptotic: block rewards follow a geometric series that never reaches zero, so 210.7 million is a sum over infinite emission eras. ETC had no ICO, pre-sale or foundation allocation — the entire supply is being mined into existence from Ethereum's 30 July 2015 genesis.

What is the Ethereum Classic fifthening (20% block reward reduction)?

The fifthening is Ethereum Classic's scheduled 20% block-reward cut, defined by ECIP-1017 (the "5M20" monetary policy, activated 11 December 2017 at block 5,000,000). Rewards fall 20% every 5,000,000 blocks — roughly every two years. Reward history: 5 ETC, then 4 (December 2017), 3.2 (March 2020), 2.56 (April 2022), 2.048 (May 2024), and 1.6384 ETC per block since block 25,000,000 (reached 22 July 2026). The next cut, to 1.31072 ETC, is scheduled for block 30,000,000 (~2028).

Is ETC mined like Bitcoin?

Yes — Ethereum Classic is mined like Bitcoin, using Proof-of-Work. ETC launched with Ethash, Ethereum's original mining algorithm, and moved to ETChash via the Thanos/ECIP-1099 upgrade in November 2020. Miners receive block rewards under the ECIP-1017 schedule, and new ETC enters circulation only through mining. Like Bitcoin — and unlike post-2022 Ethereum — mining, not staking, secures the network.

Can you stake ETC?

No — Ethereum Classic cannot be staked. The network is secured by Proof-of-Work mining, not proof-of-stake, so holding ETC earns no staking rewards on the native chain. Securing the network requires running mining hardware, which replaces the validator role that staking plays on Ethereum. Any service offering "ETC staking" is a separate lending or yield product, not native protocol staking.

Has Ethereum Classic suffered 51% attacks?

Yes — Ethereum Classic has suffered multiple 51% attacks, a direct consequence of its smaller hashrate relative to larger Proof-of-Work chains. Reorganizations in January 2019 enabled double-spends of roughly $1.1 million. A second attack in August 2020 reorganized transactions worth about $5.6 million. This attack history remains the recurring security criticism of Ethereum Classic, because consensus security depends on hashpower that is economically weaker than Bitcoin's or Ethereum's pre-merge hashrate.

Where can you trade ETC?

Per DropsTab data, Ethereum Classic trades on 90+ markets across spot and derivatives. Spot coverage spans Binance (ETC/USDT, ETC/BTC, ETC/USDC), Coinbase (ETC/USD, EUR, GBP), Kraken, OKX, Bybit and Korean fiat venues Upbit, Bithumb and Coinone (ETC/KRW). Perpetual futures are available on Binance Futures, OKX, Bybit, Hyperliquid, Kraken Futures and Deribit. DEX presence is minimal — the only decentralized pair tracked is a PancakeSwap v2 market for a BSC wrapped-ETC token, not native ETC.

Is Ethereum Classic a good investment?

No one can guarantee an outcome, and nothing here is investment advice. Structurally, ETC carries no VC-unlock overhang — no ICO or foundation allocation exists, and emission declines on a fixed schedule toward the 210.7 million cap. Documented risks offset this: repeat 51% attacks in 2019 and 2020 tied to a smaller hashrate, and a withdrawn 2020 treasury proposal (ECIP-1098) that left development dependent on independent ecosystem teams.