Dash (DASH) has become the top-performing cryptocurrency in the top 300 on a weekly basis, rising over 100% and even surpassing Monero (XMR).
This surge shows an increase in demand for privacy cryptocurrencies and highlights DASH's potential to compete with Monero. Accelerated adoption by merchants and greater accessibility are also driving this trend.
DASH becomes the most traded privacy cryptocurrency after a weekly rally of 100%
Data from BeInCrypto Markets shows that the price of DASH has risen by 102.5% in the last week. Yesterday, the altcoin reached $88.5, its highest price in almost 2 months.
Just in the last day, DASH rose by 33.2%. At the time of writing this article, it was trading at $82.27. Additionally, its daily trading volume exceeded $1.3 billion, becoming the most traded asset in the privacy cryptocurrency sector, according to CoinGecko.
The increase in DASH is part of a rally across the sector. According to CryptoRank, 14 of the 18 privacy tokens with a market capitalization of over 100 million dollars have shown positive returns since January 1.
“80% of privacy tokens have risen in 2026. As the privacy trend continues to grow, many tokens are reaching new highs,” the publication stated.
Stricter KYC and AML rules are generating renewed interest in financial privacy, bringing privacy-focused cryptocurrencies back into the spotlight. Zcash was the standout token in the sector in 2025, but recent concerns about its development team have affected sentiment.
This may have caused a rotation of capital within the privacy sector, moving away from ZEC. DASH also benefits amid this shift, with greater adoption that helps improve sentiment and supports its recent better performance compared to Monero.
On January 13, Alchemy Pay announced that it had begun admitting fiat on-ramp access for DASH. This partnership allows users in 173 countries to purchase the token using local fiat payments. This global coverage improves accessibility and addresses one of the historical barriers for privacy cryptocurrencies.
“By integrating DASH into its fiat on-ramp, Alchemy Pay increases access to the Dash digital money ecosystem and supports its use in payments, savings, and Web3 applications,” the team wrote in a statement.
On the other hand, long-term adoption data places DASH ahead of its privacy rivals. Cryptwerk analytics show that 1,682 merchants now accept DASH. The altcoin ranks seventh in overall merchant adoption, with a popularity rate of 23.12%. Monero is in tenth place, accepted by 1,225 merchants and has an adoption rate of 16.84%.
This difference in acceptance by merchants highlights the practical advantage of DASH. With 457 more merchants accepting DASH compared to Monero, adoption is approximately 37% higher for DASH.
DASH price outlook
As bullish momentum continues to grow, analysts are divided on whether the rally can continue or if a correction is likely. Ardi, an analyst, noted that the privacy cryptocurrency has shown “impressive strength.”
“If this momentum continues, ~$77 is the first liquidity support for a bounce. If not, the $71–73 zone would be the likely retest area. If those levels hold, the $98–103 range is next. Privacy time,” he wrote.
Analyst Jens also believes that the overall trend is positive and sees any price drop as a buying opportunity, with potential for an increase towards $100.
“After a long base at $36–40, buyers entered and shifted the momentum to bullish. Now the price is testing the resistance at $85–90. If it holds well, it paves the way to exceed $100. Even a pullback to $60–65 would be healthy,” he stated.
Still, some in the market remain cautious and suggest that a correction could be coming.
Nonetheless, technical indicators show possibilities, not certainties. The altcoin must maintain its fundamentals, adoption, and the overall growth of the privacy cryptocurrency sector to continue its rally.
With technical, infrastructure, and utility momentum, Dash remains an important privacy cryptocurrency to watch against rivals like Monero.
