The fiercest of battles in the market occur among those coins that seek to become the favored medium of exchange and a convenient choice for daily transactions. Bitcoin<\/strong><\/a>, the runaway leader in this match so far, must constantly evolve to fend off the newer species of coins which lack the already claimed territory of Bitcoin but benefit from software advantages and innovations pre-programmed from the start.<\/p>\n Mainstream adoption is a universal challenge in the cryptocurrency market, but for those coins functioning as a medium of exchange, it is particularly difficult. Unlike other coins, which either target developers, businesses or other specific groups, coins like Bitcoin and Dash target the general population \u2013 which is unpredictable, finicky and, as the recent rollercoaster ride of the market has shown, easily spooked.<\/p>\n Among these coins is Dash<\/strong><\/a>. Currently 13th largest by market cap, this cryptocurrency initially attempted to find use as a privacy coin. It has since transformed itself into a primarily payments-focused coin and has been plugging away at achieving mainstream adoption ever since. It has several distinctions that separate it from Bitcoin and if you\u2019d like a thorough guide to the the project, read our introduction to Dash<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Source: CoinMarketCap<\/p>\n Dash grew substantially in 2017, gaining 100x in value as it began 2017 with at $11 and ended it at approximately $1,100. This was not simply because of the hyperbolic boom the market was subject to in 2017; the project\u2019s development was a key factor as well. At the time of writing, Dash is valued at just over $300 or 0.042 Satoshi.<\/p>\n To support the workload that accompanies greater adoption, a coin must upgrade its network to handle strain and perform better, besides discovering avenues of partnership to increase outreach. To become the \u201cdigital cash you can spend anywhere\u201d, as Dash puts it, you must do this and more, and 2017 was a year of decent accomplishment for Dash in this regard.<\/p>\n The following is a list of development milestones that the Dash team achieved last year.<\/p>\n In November 2017, Dash released version 12.2<\/strong><\/a>, which included several performance changes, not the least of which was an upgrade to 2MB block sizes. This was the first implementation of a long-term plan to greatly increase the block size, with the team\u2019s sights being 400 MB or more.<\/p>\n In the same upgrade, transaction fees were lowered tenfold, making payments a genuinely viable option. At the time, the base fees for regular Dash payments were 0.0001 DASH.<\/p>\n While larger block sizes offer better performance, there is the concern that it is only a temporary solution to the scaling problem.<\/p>\n One part in the trio of the three sub-organizations that make up the Dash Network, Dash Labs<\/strong><\/a> is an enterprise focused on offering custom hardware solutions for masternode owners so that they may gain quick access to the blocks.<\/p>\n This is a distinctly different approach to solving the centralization problem of mining. Announced in the middle of 2017, Dash Labs is creating open-source hardware for mining that will be usable by miners across all projects.<\/p>\n In December 2017, Dash announced that users of the US-based cryptocurrency platform Uphold would be able to send and receive DASH tokens<\/strong><\/a>. This was a result of the Uphold community requesting the platform to support the token. Consequently, this greatly expanded Dash\u2019s reach, making it available in 184 countries, or 94% of the world. This was later upgraded to include Dash\u2019s instandsend feature<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Dash](\"https:\/\/cdn.investinblockchain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/2017-price-chart.jpg\")
<\/p>\n2017 Brought Several Technical Upgrades<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Larger Block Sizes and Lowered Transaction Rates<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Dash Labs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u2026 And Collaborations as Well<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Integration with Uphold<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Transforming the Venezuelan Economy<\/strong><\/h3>\n