Over 66,000 KRIP Phones Sold as Dash Builds Cryptocurrency Ecosystem in Venezuela with New KRIP Phone Features

Dash, the digital currency for payments and e-commerce, and Kripto Mobile Corporation (KRIP), a leading mobile brand of cryptocurrency-enabled phones, have launched an expansion of the Dash/KRIP Phone ecosystem through a new partnership with Dash Text – providing users of the non-smartphone model KRIP K1 phones the ability to send and receive Dash through SMS. First launched in August 2018, 66,000 KRIP phones have since been sold wholesale and shipped as a result of the Dash partnership, with 53,000 to Venezuela alone.

In addition to the Dash Text integration, Dash and Kripto Mobile are further enhancing the user experience by partnering with DiscoverDash.com, the premier directory for merchants who accept Dash globally, to develop an app version of the site. This has now been incorporated in all current and future KRIP smartphone models. With the touch of a few buttons, users can easily browse thousands of merchants that accept Dash cryptocurrency in their area.

Dash Core Group Global Head of Business Development Bradley Zastrow said: “Our focus since the launch of our KRIP phones in August has been to make this incredible Dash ecosystem as complete and inclusive as possible. That we have already sold and shipped over 66,000 phones in only two and a half months clearly shows we are achieving those goals. Now, with Dash Text and the DiscoverDash.com app, we’re expanding our partnership and enhancing the user experience, making it easier than ever before for the Venezuela community to use and transact in Dash in their everyday lives.”

For merchants in Latin America who currently or are planning to accept Dash as a payments option, the directory services that DiscoverDash provides are indispensable to raising awareness with customers. And with a 41% smartphone penetration rate in Venezuela, the addition of Dash Text to the K1 phones could solve one of the major barriers to entry in the cryptocurrency space — the need for a smartphone and access to the Internet. To support the launch of the new Dash Text-enabled phones, Dash, KRIP, and Dash Text are starting a promotion today to provide 1,500 K1 owners who use Dash Text with free Dash.

When it was launched in August this year, the KRIP phones were preloaded with a suite of Dash-relevant apps to help introduce users to the cryptocurrency experience for everyday usage. The phones came with Uphold to acquire Dash, the Dash wallet to store Dash, and Bitrefill to spend Dash. Additionally, a small amount of Dash was included on a paper wallet to introduce the user to the experience of transacting with Dash and scanning a QR code. In tandem with the 66,000 phones sold since the initial launch, Uphold and Bitrefill have seen material increases in transaction volumes.

KRIP Marketing Manager Venezuela Andrea Coll said: “The results to date have been exceptional, and we’re thrilled to now build on that success by expanding to now include Dash Text and DiscoverDash.com. What makes the KRIP phone so extraordinary, beyond its affordable price, is that it makes the road to mainstream adoption for cryptocurrencies like Dash much more accessible and attainable. These phones provide users around Latin America with an affordable way to acquire and use cryptocurrency for everyday transactions, like buying groceries or sharing money with family. Dash’s InstantSend feature and low transaction costs makes using cryptocurrency easy and efficient for users, and will help build momentum for cryptocurrency as a viable and stable alternative method of payment. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Dash as we build this ecosystem and see the incredible payments transition period throughout all of Latin America.”

For more information on Dash, visit dash.org. For more information on KRIP, visit kriptomobile.com.