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

Dash Adoption of the Week:

  • Over 2,000 Merchants Accept Dash in Venezuela: Much of this adoption is thanks to Alejandro and his team from Dash Merchant working very hard to bring on new merchants and making sure that they keep accepting Dash. Next, they plan to boost user volume to increase visits to these locations. The rapid adoption amid Venezuela’s surging inflation demonstrates how Dash is becoming a real alternative to fiat currency.
  • Dash Gains Over 3,600 Merchants, Globally, As Lightning Network Struggles: DiscoverDash.com now lists over 3,600 merchants that accept Dash around the world, which is up from 3,000 a month ago and up from around 500 this time last year. This comes amid a famous bet between Charlie Lee and Roger Ver on whether Bitcoin Lightning Network will have 1,000 merchants in 18 months. People are adopting Dash in greater numbers partly thanks to its low fees, fast confirmation times, security, DAO, community outreach, and usability.

Dash Integration of the Week:

  • BitGo Integrates Dash to Pave Way for Custodian and Multisg Wallet Capabilities: BitGo, a leader in institutional-grade cryptocurrency security and multi-signature wallets has integrated Dash. The multi-coin wallet will now enable Dash exposure to many institutional investors and businesses that require some form of custodian account or multi-signature wallets for security. The move signals an increased demand for Dash among individuals and businesses that are looking for long-term returns and have found potential in Dash with its long-term growth opportunity.

Dash Development of the Week:

  • Dash Labs Making Significant Progress to Enhance Robustness and Stability of Dash: A Dash Labs developer posted on reddit that “development is underway on multiple projects” and that they have seen “math model success”. Dash Labs was founded by Dash creator, Evan Duffield, in an attempt to “future proof” Dash. They are researching a variety of solutions including open-source hardware creation to enhance the long-term robustness and scalability of the Dash network. Dash Labs is supplementing the research by Dash Core Group to find the best ways to scale Dash to handle the increased traffic generated by community outreach success. Make sure to tune into Dash Force News next week for an interview with a Dash Labs developer!
  • DashRoots Pursues Increased Funding Access and Decentralization: DashRoots has launched their crowdfunding platform to allow more individuals within the Dash network to have access to community funding if they are too small or do not have the 5 Dash application fee for the DAO Treasury. This allows more individuals to get funding to operate cool projects in the Dash network. The same team is also developing a Go language implementation of a Dash Node to supplement current Dash Nodes and aide Dash Core Group development in decentralization and innovation.

Crypto Research of the Week:

  • Dash Gets a “B” in Crypto Briefing’s First DARE Report Highlighting Strengths and Weaknesses: Crypto Briefing released their first Digital Asset Report & Evaluation (DARE), which aims to evaluate coins and tokens based on technology development, ecosystem development, usability, trading volume, and token performance. They gave Dash a “B” grade highlighting Dash’s large adoption, unique DAO structure, and usability, but said that Dash’s previously missed timeline goals caused a lower grade. Nevertheless, the report said Dash’s development team has an “extended track record of the development effort” and that gives “significant confidence in the team’s ability to eventually deliver on the project milestones”.
  • Transaction Volumes Suggest that Dash, Bitcoin Cash, and Doge Used Most for Small Transactions: Transaction volume analysis of Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Dash, Zcash, and Dogecoin show that Dash has the lowest median transaction value, followed by Dogecoin and Bitcoin Cash. For average transaction values, Dash is once again the lowest, followed by Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Dogecoin. A lower median value for transactions means there are more small transactions, which is an indication that Dash is being used for everyday purchases such as buying coffee, food, etc. This falls in line with the surge of adoption Dash has seen this year in Venezuela and around the world.
  • New Poll Suggests Investors Believe Cryptocurrency will Appreciate During a Recession: Fundstrat Global Advisors’ new investor and twitter poll showed that 72% of institutional investors and 59% of twitter respondents believe cryptocurrency prices will increasing during a recession. Cryptocurrency is often sold as an alternative to the traditional financial and banking system, but since Bitcoin only emerged it 2009, it has yet to be tested in the depths of a recession. There is debate about whether cryptocurrencies will act as an alternative to fiat money systems and have opposite price actions or if individuals will treat it as a high-risk asset and seek investment safety in other assets.

General News of the Week:

  • Cryptocurrency Charitable Donations on the Rise: Charitable donations denominated in cryptocurrencies have seen a large increase over the past year. Donating in cryptocurrencies have many advantages such as tax breaks in the United States, low fees for the charity, easy movement of money, traceable to ensure money is used properly, and funding options for those not liked by governments. Dash makes this even easier for donation receivers and givers by not only having low costs, but also allowing Dash to be spent in numerous locations, which mitigates the need to cash out to help poorer individuals.

  • Jimmy Song and Greg Maxwell Argue To Use Credit Cards Instead of Bitcoin for Purchases: Bitcoin Core contributors Jimmy Song and Greg Maxwell highlighted legitimate problems with Bitcoin in everyday purchases and the advantages to using a credit card such as cash back, ease of use, and relatively low fees. Alternatively, Dash is well on its way to making cryptocurrency use truly peer-to-peer with its super low transaction costs, rapidly growing merchant adoption, Dash-back program conducted by AnyPay, and the coming launch of Evolution to further increase consumer friendliness.

Dash Media of the Week:

  • Three Amigos Chat with AnyPay Founders: This week the three amigos talk with the founders of AnyPay.Global, Derrick J. Freeman and Steven Zeiler. Make sure to check out this episode to learn how Dash is increasing merchant adoption, including a car dealership in New Hampshire, USA recently integrating Dash and selling its first car for Dash.

Dashtober is proceeding strongly and has demonstrated the integration and developmental successes of Dash! Stay tuned into our site and social media networks to see all the upcoming Dash News! We hope that our content and coverage was very informative and enjoyable this week and we cannot wait to see what awesome Dash News awaits us next week!