DASH/USD: Convert Dash (DASH) to United States Dollar (USD)

Dash, derived from "Digital Cash," is an open-source blockchain and cryptocurrency that aims to provide a fast, cost-effective global payments network. Launched in January 2014 as a fork of Litecoin, Dash strives to enhance the features of Bitcoin by offering stronger privacy and faster transactions. The Dash network is characterized by a two-tier structure with incentivized nodes, including "masternodes," and decentralized project governance. It also includes features like InstantSend for instantly settled payments, ChainLocks for instant blockchain immutability, and PrivateSend for optional transaction privacy.

Dash operates on a two-tier network. The first tier consists of nodes that perform mining operations under a proof-of-work consensus protocol. These nodes compete to solve complex cryptographic problems, and a transaction must be approved by at least 51% of nodes to be added to the blockchain. The second tier consists of masternodes that provide advanced services to the network and govern Dash's proposal system. These masternodes facilitate functions such as InstantSend, PrivateSend, and ChainLocks. They are servers backed by collateral held in Dash and are rewarded with a portion of the block rewards for their services.

Dash aims to be the most user-friendly and scalable payments-focused cryptocurrency in the world. It is designed for both individual users and institutions, including merchants, financial services, traders, and those who need to send international remittances. Dash's governance system distributes 10% of the block rewards for the development of the project in a competitive and decentralized way, allowing for the creation of many funded organizations. This makes Dash a potential choice for organizations looking to leverage blockchain technology for their operations.

Dash was founded by software developers Evan Duffield and Kyle Hagan. Initially called XCoin, it was rebranded to Darkcoin two weeks after its launch and later to Dash in March 2015. Before Dash, Duffield had experience in finance and public relations, having developed machine learning algorithms and search engines. He conceived Dash in 2012 as a way to add more anonymity to Bitcoin, hence the original name Darkcoin. Duffield served as CEO of Dash Core Group, the company that supports Dash's development and other activities, until December 2017. Hagan co-authored the original Darkcoin whitepaper with Duffield but left the project in December 2014.