This post is also available in: Français Deutsch Português Русский

#Dash featured on #Japan 🇯🇵 NHK WORLD TV on the surging growth in @Dashpay adoption in #Venezuela 🇻🇪 This is great news for #cryptocurrency proving #blockchain has a real world use-case & $Dash is providing utility & value as a payments solution.

Source: https://t.co/rY7JwjfTef pic.twitter.com/JNA03tBxob — Mark Mason (@StayDashy) March 18, 2019

Japanese news network NHK recently covered Dash’s expansion in Venezuela.

The Japan Broadcasting Network (Nippon Hoso Kyokai or NHK) recently covered the economic crisis in Venezuela, pointing out the extreme circumstances stemming from the country’s hyperinflation. Shown is Venezuelans’ difficulties in using traditional payment processors and cash, and the switch to using US dollars as well as cryptocurrency. While Dash is not explicitly mentioned by name, all the footage of cryptocurrency-accepting businesses prominently shows “Dash accepted here” stickers.

NHK is Japan’s public broadcasting network, which also streams English-language content 24 hours per day on NHK-World-Japan. Its social media channels include over a million followers.

Japan’s rocky history with Dash

Dash has not always had this manner of positive treatment coming from Japan. Last year, Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) took active steps to discourage exchanges from listing cryptocurrencies with advanced privacy features, namely Dash, Zcash, and Monero. This was reportedly because of implications for criminal activity facilitated by anonymity features of these coins. As such, approved cryptocurrencies were added to “whitelist” by the FSA, excluding coins such as Dash. Non-whitelisted coins experience difficulties getting listed on domestic exchanges, which in turn hampers adoption.

Major mainstream news coverage, then, represents a positive development in the country, particularly after the central bank characterized crypto-assets as no competition to central banking.

Dash’s surge in Venezuela is continuing to make headlines

Dash has garnered significant attention in Venezuela for its progress during these difficult economic times. Earlier this month, the country experienced persistent blackouts, which left millions without power and internet, and without means of using bank transfers or other payment processors. Mobile phone service, including SMS, however, continued to function during this time, meaning that SMS-based wallet service Dash Text remained one of the only payment services still operational. In order to assist the people of Venezuela in being able to maintain in contact with friends and family, Dash Text launched a donation campaign partnered with Bitrefill to pay for top-ups for those in need.

Additionally, Dash Text recently launched possibly the world’s first fully-distributed charity system, allowing donors to send Dash and have it instantly distributed to the end recipients, in this case schoolchildren in need of funds to buy food, without having to wait on a middleman. The recipients receive Dash to their Dash Text wallet on their SMS-capable phones, an are then able to use it to spend on food.