Dash cryptocurrency has put together an impressive month of gains, with prices tripling in value on renewed global demand and upbeat investor sentiment.
Dash Price Levels
Digitalcash (DASH/USD) saw little upside on Monday, with prices eventually falling 2.4% to $765. The digital currency is trading $45 below last week’s record high, but has still managed to add a whopping 21% over the past five days.
At present values, Dash is worth a combined $6 billion, placing it fifth among active cryptocurrencies. Only bitcoin, Ethereum, bitcoin cash and Ripple XRP are worth more.
Trade volumes have reached $193 million over the past 24 hours, with HitBTC accounting for the largest share of activity. Binance, Bithumb and Bitfinex were also among the volume leaders. These four brokerages combined for about 50% of the daily turnover.
Since Nov. 2, Dash has nearly tripled in value. Its gains have occurred in lockstep with the broader cryptocurrency market, which has been aided in large part by active Korean trading desks.
Block Upgrade
The cryptocurrency has also benefited from the release of Dash Core version 12.2, which lowered transaction fees by ten times and upgraded the block size to 2 MB. The update was successfully implemented on Nov. 8. Dash’s core team referred to version 12.2 as a “major update” that required the urgent attention of “end users, pool operators, exchanges and masternode owners.”
The privacy-focused altcoin has enjoyed strong backing for years, with many cryptocurrency enthusiasts impressed by its incentivized full nodes, instant transactions and built-in coin mixing. Of course, Dash also promotes completely private transactions, making it an important player in the decentralized currency market. In this vein, it is considered by many to be the next generation bitcoin, only a significant cut above thanks to features like InstantSend, PrivateSend and completely decentralized self-funding governance.
Zimbabwe Partnership
Dash was in the news last month after the project announced a partnership with KuvaCash to fight inflation in Zimbabwe. The African nation was forced to abandon its local currency in the aftermath of the financial crisis as hyperinflation took root. Under the partnership, Dash aims to provide Zimbabwe with its first localized cryptocurrency service. To access the service, users only need a phone-number-based messaging system.
“I have been advocating for quite some time the potential benefits Dash can provide to economies with less stable currencies, and Zimbabwe seems a prime location for these benefits,” Dash Core CEO Ryan Taylor said of the decision. “This project in particular is well-researched with value propositions, branding, and go-to-market strategies tailored to the local market. Combining the ideal network – Dash – with a well-considered strategy should lead to a high probability of success.”
Even cryptocurrencies have been known to trade at a large premium on the Zimbabwean exchanges. One month ago, bitcoin was marked at a nearly 90% premium in the country. That was equivalent to roughly $12,400 at the time. Globally, the BTC/USD was marked at $6,700.
The country has been under renewed political pressure since a coup upended 93-year-old ruler Robert Mugabe. Mugabe had served as head of state for nearly four decades.
Disclaimer: The author owns bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. He holds investment positions in the coins, but does not engage in short-term or day-trading.
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