Investing Trading Cryptocurrency & Bitcoin Dash Coin Explained Everything You Need to Know About Its History and Technology By Erin Gobler Erin Gobler Erin Gobler is personal finance coach and a writer with over decade of experience. She specializes in writing about investing, cryptocurrency, stocks, and more. Her work has been published on major financial websites including Bankrate, Fox Business, Credit Karma, The Simple Dollar, and more. learn about our editorial policies Updated on November 17, 2021 Reviewed by Akhilesh Ganti In This Article View All In This Article What Is Dash Coin? How To Mine Dash Coin Total Supply of Dash Coin How To Buy Dash Coin Photo: Gpointstudio/ Getty Images Dash is a cryptocurrency founded in 2014 based on the Bitcoin project. Dash is based on a decentralized peer-to-peer network meant to allow for the cheap and easy flow of currency. Today, Dash coins are accepted by many retailers and mined by individuals around the world. Cryptocurrencies like Dash have become a popular investment opportunity in recent years. Before you start purchasing Dash coins or any other digital currency, it’s important to understand what you’re getting yourself into. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Dash and how to start investing. What Is Dash Coin? Dash is a cryptocurrency based on a decentralized peer-to-peer network. Like many digital currencies, it’s designed to allow for fast, easy, and affordable online payments without going through the traditional financial system. Dash was launched in 2014 by its founder Evan Duffield and was based on the Bitcoin project. It has many similarities to Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies, including its decentralization and cryptography security. But it also has some notable differences, including its speed. Note In recent years, Dash has expanded its efforts to encourage businesses to accept Dash. In the first quarter of 2021, more than 4,350 merchants accepted Dash coins, and there were more than $3.64 billion in payments involving Dash. Special Features of Dash Coin Dash’s most notable feature is its InstantSend, which allows for instant transaction confirmation. Most currencies have a delayed transaction time because a certain number of blocks must pass before the transaction can be verified. Each block that must pass is known as a confirmation, and in general, the more confirmations required, the longer the transaction takes. Cryptocurrency transactions often take between 15 minutes and an hour to finalize. But the Dash network uses what are called “masternodes.” These masternodes provide for a second layer of support to ensure the blockchain technology is prepared to process all transactions. The masternodes verify the authenticity of funds for a particular transaction and lock them down within 1-2 seconds so that those funds cannot be spent again before the confirmation of the current transaction. That’s how the masternodes reduce transaction time and keep the Dash network performing safely, healthy, and efficiently. They secure user data and process and facilitate instant and private transactions. Dash Coin Inception January 18, 2014 In Circulation/ Total Supply (as of July 7, 2021) 10,219,982.47 DASH/ max supply 18.92 million Special Feature InstantSend How To Mine Dash Coin Like most cryptocurrencies, Dash coins are obtained through a process called mining, where individuals use computers to solve difficult math problems. Each time someone successfully solves one of the problems, they add a new block of Dash to the blockchain. Dash coins are mined using a process called Proof of Work (PoW) mining, where computer processors solve math problems defined by an X11 hashing algorithm. The algorithm was designed by Dash’s founder to reduce power and allow for a fair distribution of the currency. Note While solving a math problem might not sound all that difficult, these algorithms actually require highly specialized computers that can be expensive. To help reduce costs and time, many miners participate in mining pools, where people work together to solve the problems and release more Dash. Total Supply of Dash Coin As of July 2021, there are more than 10.18 million Dash in circulation, with a maximum supply of between 17.74 million and 18.92 million. Unlike Bitcoin where miners get the entire reward, about 10% of the reward for mining Dash coin goes towards the budget proposals for the development of the Dash project. These future budget proposals are subject to future voting behavior, and so it can’t be known for certain how much of Dash coin shall be utilized for this purpose making the maximum supply of currency uncertain. Note The creators expect that Dash will continue to be mined for about 192 years. Based on their estimates, the final coin supply will be mined by the year 2254. Rewards for Mining The first Dash coin was mined on January 18, 2014. When someone mines a block of Dash coins, they receive a block reward as an incentive. The block reward decreases by 7.14% each year. How To Buy Dash Coin You can purchase Dash coins on any trading platform that trades cryptocurrency. You can buy Dash on many of the top cryptocurrency exchanges, including Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance. As we mentioned previously, Dash has instant transaction verification. As a result, there won’t be a delay before your Dash coins appear in your account. Keep in mind that many cryptocurrency exchanges have trading fees, which vary from one trading platform to the next. Wallets When you purchase Dash or any other cryptocurrency, you’ll also need a wallet to access it. Note Dash is compatible with many different types of wallets, including mobile wallets, desktop wallets, hardware wallets, paper wallets, web wallets, and a text wallet. Wallet Type Dash Compatible Wallets Mobile Wallet DashEdgeCoinomiJaxx LibertyDash ElectrumSpendExodusBitnovo Desktop Wallet Dash CoreDash ElectrumExodusCoinomiJaxx LibertyGuarda Hardware Wallet TrezorLedgerKeepKeySafePalD’CENTCobo VaultEllipal TitanNGRAVESecuX Paper Wallet Dash Paper Wallet Web Wallet GuardaMagnumMyDashWallet Text Wallet Dash Text Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Dash. "Frequently Asked Questions." Dash. "Your Money, Your Way." Accessed July 8, 2021. Dash. "Features." Dash. "How Mining Works." accessed July 8, 2021. Coinmarketcap. "Dash Coin." Dash. "Download the App and You’re Ready to Go." Related Articles Ravencoin Explained Verge (XVG) Explained Zcash Explained eToro vs. Coinbase Litecoin (LTC) Explained DigiByte (DGB) Explained Dogecoin Explained What Teens Need To Know About Cryptocurrency Ether (ETH) Explained Flow Cryptocurrency (FLOW) Explained Dai Coin Explained Stellar Lumens (XLM) Explained Tron (TRX) Explained Ripple vs. Bitcoin Chainlink (LINK) Explained Bitcoin vs. Litecoin: How Do They Compare? Newsletter Sign Up