This week continues to be another great week in Dash with awesome announcements, integrations, developments, and news! Continue reading to get a brief summary of the week.
Dash Network Announcements of the Week:
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Dash Core Team Q2 2018 Conference Call: Dash Core Group held their second quarter conference call and had some major announcements. First, they released a draft of a revised roadmap that includes a 12.4 version upgrade (aka ‘Pre-Evolution’) at the end of Q3 or beginning of Q4 along with a plan to release version 13.0 (aka the launch of Evolution) in late Q4 with 13.1 following in early 2019. Second, the DCG discussed their request for a no-action letter from the SEC in order to put investors, consumers, and exchanges at ease that Dash is in fact not a security. They also discussed concerns about treasury funding requests and vowed that DCG will impose self-limits in the future and took responsibility for a lack of clear guidance in the recent past possibly causing Dash to slip in market cap rankings. They also discussed Dash’s continued research into scaling, as well as a major upcoming integration, but could not reveal too much information yet.
- Dash Masternode and Merchant Adoption Reaches All Time Highs: There are now over 4,800 Dash Masternodes, whom must stake 1000 Dash each, and over 2,000 merchants globally. This is all occurring against a market-wide decline in cryptocurrency fiat exchange prices. This development is a testament of the belief that consumers, merchants, and investors have in Dash because of its focus on adoption and usability in everyday transactions with record low transaction costs.
Integrations of the Week:
- TravelbyBit Expands Dash Usage in Australia: TravelbyBit, the digital currency payment processor that focuses on the travel and tourism industry, has grown to over 200 merchants in Australia and has been introducing these merchants to Dash. They have also been working closely with their government to receive grants and get additional businesses onboard. Their expansion strategy of face-to-face networking to create cryptocurrency communities and adoption helps validate Dash’s community outreach network.
- Coinbase Custody Explores Adding Dash: Coinbase Custody, which enables institutional investors to safely store large amounts of cryptocurrency for long periods of time, is exploring the addition of 37 more coins, including Dash. In their blog post, Coinbase emphasized that this is still in the exploratory phase and an addition to Coinbase Custody does not mean a coin will eventually be added to its regular trading platform. Dash currently offers institutional investors the ability to buy fractional Masternodes through Neptune Dash, a publicly traded company, of which Fidelity owns a 15% stake. Integration into Coinbase Custody would further increase Dash’s exposure to institutional investors and further aid its stability.
Developments of the Week:
- DashDonates is Founded to Supplement Dash Funding Mechanism: DashDonates was created to facilitate crowdfunding of various Dash proposals that are having trouble getting funding with the lower fiat exchange price currently affecting the DAO Treasury. Their website is currently in the MVP phase, but includes links to verify where they got the wallet addresses from and donation trackers to see how close projects are to reaching their funding goals. They are exploring the option to eventually expanding into charities. The project demonstrates the versatility and innovation of the Dash network and community to adapt to changing scenarios to still accomplish goals.
- Dash Funded Cannabis Research Reduces Need for GMOs: Dash is continuing a partnership with Medicinal Genomics to map the cannabis genome and store it on the Dash blockchain. Their primary goal has been to prove that prior cannabis patents issued by the USPTO are invalid by mapping a greater genome knowledge and storing it on Dash’s immutable blockchain. However, a secondary benefit has been that the increased genome knowledge will allow breeders and growers to better protect their plants from harmful pathogens and increase crop yields without having to resort to GMOs. The development will further direct more attention to the Dash blockchain as a facilitator of this innovation and further cement Dash’s position within the cannabis industry, which is commonly seen as a proof of concept for cryptocurrency usage.
Studies of the Week:
- Fast Money vs. Slow Money Display How Dash is Steadily Developing: Mike Maples Jr, a founding partner at the VC firm Floodgate, recently published an article discussing the differences between ‘Fast Money’ and ‘Slow Money’ and how it relates to investors, founders, and cryptocurrencies. He pointed out how ‘Slow Money’ founders will focus on steady, long-term, and sustainable developments whereas ‘Fast Money’ founders will do the opposite. He applied this to cryptocurrencies and believes that ‘Slow Money’ projects will win in the long-term since they are focusing on real added value for consumers. Dash has been following the ‘Slow Money’ strategy by steadily working on improving the network and increasing integrations for consumers, which positions Dash well for long-term growth.
- U.S. DEA Analysis Argues Most of Bitcoin’s Transactions Are Speculative: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency came out with new analysis that argues that a majority of the transactions on the Bitcoin network have become speculative transactions. While speculation is inherent to any new technology, it can become dangerous when not backup by enough real value. Dash is better able to support the speculation in the cryptocurrency space by focusing on real world adoption in everyday transactions, which allows investors to form a more realistic valuation of Dash.
- U.S. DEA Argues There Are Still Ways to Track Privacy Coins: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency also discussed that they have methods to track transactions and individuals on privacy coins such as Monero and Zcash. Privacy features remain difficult to execute, especially on mobile wallets or any device not running a full node, but the technology is constantly evolving. Dash employees PrivateSend as an optional feature for users to enhance their privacy and offers significant privacy features when employing best practices. In addition, the upcoming network upgrades for Evolution include a plethora of PrivateSend enhancements.
Community Outreach of the Week:
- Dash Force Meetup Contest Winners: In July, Dash Force Meetup organizers setup 309 wallets across 13 meetups in California, South America, and Africa. In addition, the meetups were added to meetup.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Evernote. Head on over to see the very Dashy photos of the meetups and who were the winners of some free Dash!
Interviews of the Week:
- Ryan Taylor Appears on Nasdaq TradeTalks: Ryan Taylor, the CEO of Dash Core Group, made an appearance on Nasdaq TradeTalks to discuss cryptocurrencies, Dash, and adoption. He discussed how activities such as buying coffee or paying for transit can be catalysts for wider adoption since that is when cryptocurrencies start to become a part of everyday life. Ryan talked about the wide adoption that Dash is seeing in Venezuela and the numerous integrations that Dash is building because of the advantages Dash offers with record low transaction fees, very fast confirmation times, and great security. Make sure to watch the short video as you do not want to miss this!
- Dash Force News’ Three Amigos Interview Rodrigo Ambrissi from Dash Brazil: The three amigos talked with Rodrigo about his most recent documentary on Dash in Venezuela and how he was just blown away by how much Dash is helping individuals in the country. The group also talked about other proposals and projects that are being pursued, different methods of communication, and other Dashtastic developments. Another great interview that you want to make sure to watch and if you have not done so already, click here to watch the Dash in Venezuela documentary!
As always, we hope that our content and coverage was informative and enjoyable this week. Be sure to regularly visit the site and our social media pages to see additional content that is always being rolled out. We cannot wait to see what awesome Dash News awaits us next week!