Dash (DASH) has surged to become the leading weekly performer among the top 300 cryptocurrencies, climbing more than 100% and even outpacing Monero (XMR).
This momentum signals increased demand for privacy coins and highlights DASH’s potential to rival Monero. Accelerating merchant adoption and improved access are further helping drive this trend.
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DASH Becomes Top-Traded Privacy Coin as Weekly Gains Exceed 100%
BeInCrypto Markets data showed that DASH’s value has appreciated by 102.5% over the past week. Yesterday, the altcoin reached $88.5, its highest price in nearly 2 months.
Over the past day alone, DASH has jumped by 33.2%. At the time of writing, it traded at $82.27. Furthermore, its daily trading volume has surpassed $1.3 billion, making it the highest-traded asset in the privacy coin sector, according to CoinGecko.
DASH Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto MarketsDASH’s rise is a part of a broader sector-wide rally. According to CryptoRank, 14 out of 18 privacy tokens with market capitalizations exceeding $100 million have delivered positive returns since January 1.
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Stricter know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering rules are fueling renewed interest in financial privacy, pushing privacy-focused cryptocurrencies back into the spotlight. Zcash was the sector’s standout performer in 2025, but recent concerns tied to its development team have weighed on the sentiment.
This may have triggered a rotation of capital within the privacy space, away from ZEC. DASH is also benefiting amid the broader shift, with rising adoption helping to boost sentiment and support its recent outperformance relative to Monero.
On January 13, Alchemy Pay announced that it had begun supporting fiat on-ramp access for DASH. This partnership enables users in 173 countries to purchase DASH using local fiat payments. This broad geographic reach improves accessibility and addresses one of the long-standing barriers facing privacy coins.
Meanwhile, long-term adoption data places DASH ahead of privacy rivals. Cryptwerk’s analytics reveal 1,682 merchants now accept DASH. The altcoin ranks seventh in overall merchant adoption, boasting a 23.12% popularity rate. Monero ranks tenth, accepted by 1,225 merchants and holding a 16.84% adoption rate.
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This gap in merchant acceptance highlights DASH’s practical edge. With 457 more merchants accepting DASH than Monero, adoption is roughly 37% higher for the former.
DASH Price Outlook
As bullish momentum continues to build, analysts remain divided on whether the rally has further room to run or if a corrective move is likely. Ardi, an analyst, noted that the privacy coin has shown “insane strength.”
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Analyst Jens also views the overall trend as positive and considers any price dips as buying opportunities, with upside potential toward $100.
Nonetheless, some in the market remain cautious, suggesting a correction may follow.
Still, technical indicators offer possibilities, not certainties. DASH must sustain fundamentals, adoption, and overall privacy-coin sector growth to continue its rally. With technical, infrastructure, and utility momentum, Dash remains a key privacy coin to watch against rivals like Monero.
Source: https://beincrypto.com/dash-privacy-coins-2026-surge/
