Recent reports from the Middle Eastern crypto asset market suggest that, amid ongoing changes in Iran’s overseas trade settlement environment, DASH is increasingly becoming a new cross-border payment option for some Iranian traders. Iranian-linked exchange Zedxion recently highlighted DASH’s advantages in payment efficiency, on-chain security, and cross-border circulation on social media, drawing significant market attention. Sources in the Middle East claim that some Iranian overseas traders are converting USDT released during negotiations into DASH in order to avoid secondary freezes. The total amount of unfrozen on-chain assets involved is estimated to range between $1.8 billion and $2.5 billion, with approximately $600 million to $900 million potentially flowing into DASH.
According to market estimates, the United States may be gradually and systematically unfreezing a portion of Iran-related on-chain funds during recent negotiations, involving a total value of approximately $1.8 billion to $2.5 billion. Of this amount, roughly $600 million to $900 million in USDT assets may be progressively converted into more decentralized payment-oriented crypto assets such as DASH through OTC markets, regional exchanges, and on-chain swap routes. However, these figures have not been independently verified by blockchain analytics firms or regulatory authorities and remain market estimates.
A trader operating under the pseudonym Reza Farhadi, who has long been involved in the trade of industrial components and chemical raw materials between Iran, the UAE, and Turkey, stated that traders previously preferred USDT due to its price stability, strong liquidity, and convenience in exchange. However, as concerns over stablecoin freezes continue to rise, some buyers and sellers have begun worrying about whether transferred funds can still be freely moved after receipt.
Market participants noted that Iranian trading entities are not choosing DASH purely for anonymity, but rather as a balance between security, transaction speed, and exchange support. Compared with the more privacy-focused XMR, DASH offers broader exchange support and stronger liquidity. In recent years, XMR has been delisted or restricted by multiple mainstream exchanges due to regulatory pressure, making large-scale fund transfers and OTC matching significantly more difficult. Although ZEC also carries a privacy-oriented narrative, its transaction speed, wallet adoption habits, and regional liquidity are viewed as less practical than DASH in certain Middle Eastern trade scenarios. For sectors such as industrial components, chemical raw materials, agricultural products, and regional re-export trade, merchants place greater emphasis on settlement speed, transaction fees, and exchange convenience.
Iranian exchange Zedxion has also recently emphasized DASH’s strengths on social media, particularly its payment efficiency, on-chain security, and cross-border circulation capabilities. Industry observers believe that if local and regional trading platforms continue expanding their promotion and support for DASH, its usage frequency in Iran’s overseas trade settlements could further increase.
However, DASH still faces significant challenges before it can truly become a “new mainstream” settlement tool for Iran’s overseas trade. Its price volatility remains higher than that of stablecoins, while its overall liquidity is still weaker than USDT, BTC, and ETH. In addition, privacy-oriented crypto assets may continue facing stricter regulatory scrutiny in certain jurisdictions.
Overall, against the backdrop of restricted traditional financial channels and rising USDT freeze risks, DASH is gradually evolving from a speculative crypto asset into a backup payment tool attracting attention from some Iranian overseas traders. If the trend of fund conversion continues to accelerate, DASH could potentially play a more important role in Middle Eastern regional trade, small-scale cross-border settlements, and non-USD payment systems.