This Week in Dash: March 25th

This week has been another fantastic week for Dash with amazing new developments, integrations, and announcements! Continue reading to get a summary of the week!

Dash Developments of the Week:

Dash Version 0.14, Including Anti-51% Attack ChainLocks, Released on Testnet: Dash has released version 0.14 to testnet, which brings Dash one step closer to Evolution. The upgrade will feature Long Living Masternode Quorums (LLMQs), LLMQ-based ChainLocks, and LLMQ-based InstantSend. LLMQs will help make Dash more efficient in processing transactions and data, which is necessary for future scaling and the improvements that Evolution plans to bring. Then ChainLocks will help further secure the Dash blockchain from 51% attacks by locking-in the first block published at each height, which will enable merchants to accept valid transactions more confidently, much sooner.
Dash Releases Long-Private Evolution Repositories to Public: The Dash Evolution github repositories are now being released for public and open-source access. Dash has received criticism in the past for keeping these code repositories private, but they were simply refining the code to make sure it meets a high standard before public release and maintain Dash’s competitive edge. The Dash Core Group has long promised to make these public and is fulfilling their promise, which is also a positive sign that the release of version 1.0, a.k.a. Evolution, is getting closer.

Dash Integrations of the Week:

Cryptobuyer ATMs Offers Zero-Fee Dash, Partners With Dash-Accepting Venezuelan Chain Traki: The major Latin American exchange, ATM network, and merchant solution provider will be integrated into Traki department stores as a cryptocurrency point-of-sales system. The integration will start at Traki’s El Recreo store, but is expected to expand to all of their 46 stores. Additionally, Cryptobuyer will be offering zero-fee Dash buying to aid the use of Dash as remittances to Venezuela, which will last until May. The integration and promotion illustrate just how easy it is to use Dash as everyday cash that is cheaper, more efficient, and more secure than most other payment methods.
Top Exchange Binance Adds New Dash Trading Pairs: The top exchange in the world by adjusted trading volume with over $1.4 billion in daily trading volume will be adding two new Dash trading pairs, Binance Coin (BNB) and Tether (USDT). These two additional trading pairs will help expand Dash’s liquidity and access due to these coins’ popularity. This will further help consumers be able to make everyday purchases at nearly 5,000 merchants around the world that accept Dash.
Tor Accepts Dash Donations, Advancing Privacy Initiative: Tor, which helps individuals protect themselves against tracking, surveillance, and censorship will now be accepting donations in Dash. Dash gives consumers the option of additional privacy via PrivateSend, which mixes funds to obfuscate who the money belongs to and is thus a perfect match for helping The Tor Project.
SimpleSwap Integrates Dash, Increases Utility for Consumers: SimpleSwap offers consumers simple and inexpensive cryptocurrency exchanges without registration or limits, which is preserving consumer privacy as other exchanges, like Shapeshift, are requiring registration. They will now be offering Dash exchanges at fixed rates so consumers do not have to deal with the uncertain of cryptocurrency exchange price volatility. Nevertheless, since the exchange partners with other exchanges to find the best rates, one of their partners may flag a transaction for KYC/AML registration, at which point the consumer can either comply and receive the exchange or deny the request and receive their money back.

General News of the Week:

Bing Blocks Millions of Cryptocurrency Ads in 2018 Alone: Bing has reported that they blocked around 5 million cryptocurrency-related advertisements in 2018. The platform crackdown on cryptocurrency ads is in the purported interest of consumers that could fall victim to cryptocurrency-related scams. Google and Facebook also banned similar ads, but have partially reversed their decision based on prior approval of the ads. Cryptocurrency adoption has thus been hampered due to this artificial restriction, but in countries like Venezuela and Colombia where other forms of advertising is allowed, Dash has thrived.
Peter Todd: “Bitcoin Doesn’t Have a Hope” Against Credit Cards: The former Bitcoin Core developer, Peter Todd, recently discussed how credit cards like Mastercard and Visa have a significant advantage over Bitcoin due to their wide acceptance and relatively cheap fees. Instead, he believes Bitcoin has more of a competitive advantage against companies like Western Union since Bitcoin can operate more reliably and cheaply across boarders. Nevertheless, his statement begs the question about how Dash stands up against credit cards since Dash has found a way to send money for less than a penny in seconds (automatic InstantSend) and is becoming increasingly secure (ChainLocks), and more user friendly (Evolution).
Japan’s Stricter Cryptocurrency Margin Trading Rules Illustrates Need for Sustainable Growth: Japan’s Cabinet, which is the executive agency of the country’s government, has approved new draft amendments that would limit cryptocurrency margin trading to two-to-four times the initial deposit. This is significant since some exchanges offer up to 100x margins, which can become particularly devastating to traders if used incorrectly and cause ripple effects to non-trading consumers. The news highlights the importance of gaining everyday adoption, such as Dash, to increase real value rather than speculative value to not only better serve consumers, but also hold off government regulations.
Exchange Hacks Highlight Need for Better Consumer Habits: Recently the Singapore-based exchange, DragonEx, suffered a hack of an undisclosed amount, but attempted to hide the news for a couple days under the guise of “maintenance”. Then another announcement by Coinbene about “maintenance” concerned consumers that they may have been compromised as well. Either way, when consumer place their cryptocurrency on exchanges, they are ultimately losing control of their funds since they no longer control their private keys. One of the advantages of Dash is that since it can be so widely spent, it eliminates the need to exchange into other currencies. Then when consumers do have to use exchanges, they can utilize the inexpensiveness of Dash transactions to only send small amounts to the exchange, as needed, rather than in bulk and risk large losses.

Dash Media of the Week:

Isabel unboxing review of Dash enabled KRIP K55 Kripto Mobile: Last year, Kripto Mobile announced a partnership with Dash to preload their phones with a suite of Dash apps (the official Dash wallet for custody, Bitrefill for spending Dash, and Uphold for buying Dash) to make cryptocurrency on-boarding in Venezuela easier. A few months later, they sold over 66,000 phones! Consumers are able to use these phones to make purchases at the 2,432 merchants that accept Dash in the country. Join Isabel as she unboxes the KRIP 55 model and see what is inside!
Dash Podcast Episode 97 with Joshua Scigala, CEO of Vaultoro.com: This week, Joshua, a long-term Dash fan since the days of Darkcoin, joins the three amigos to discuss the evolutionary ideas of cryptocurrency that are aiming to help consumers. Vaultoro is a platform that allows consumers to purchase gold with cryptocurrency, including Dash. They also discuss the concept of stablecoins, smart contracts, cryptocurrency taxes, how gold combined with cryptocurrency can heavily benefit consumers, and more. Make sure to tune in to gain some valuable insights!

This week was a tremendous week for Dash with amazing new developments, integrations, and announcements that signal how far Dash has developed and how much more potential Dash has approaching with future releases. Dash is planning many new develops and integrations in the near future in the pursuit of becoming everyday digital cash for everyday consumers. Make sure to follow Dash News on all our social media outlets to get this news first!