If Bitcoin seeks to serve as a digital gold, Ethereum has taken a different approach, generalizing so its users can create any number of custom assets and programs governing their operation.
Among the first to embrace Ethereum were major banks and institutions, who took advantage of its open-source code to create proof-of-concepts and R&D initiatives in 2015 and 2016.
Like paper cash or gold, depending on how you received your BTC it will have varying degrees of fungibility. BTC that was involved in a crime, for example, may not be accepted by exchanges or merchants. (This remains an active area of research for Bitcoin developers.)
For something to store value, people need to recognize and accept that it’s worth something.