Privacy-centric altcoin Dash has continued expanding to unforeseen highs, now testing the $50 barrier per single coin.

The asset’s exponential short-term rise has delighted investors and partners alike, with so far little speculation as to what could happen next.

Dash has grown from 0.005 BTC to 0.03 BTC in just three months - a rise of around 500 percent in Bitcoin terms.

Despite being available since March 2014, it is only recently that mainstream interest in the currency has picked up, with the deals accelerating as trading activity gains momentum.

Dash’s most recent 24-hour trade volumes now rival Ethereum’s, with Coinmarketcap data show it has the third-highest market capitalization in cryptocurrency.

Dash price chart

In February Dash debuted on the BitMEX exchange, while this week Wall of Coins released over-the-counter purchases for cash.

Criticism over the rapid price increase is notably absent, with commentators continuing to extole Dash’s virtues and ability to usurp Bitcoin in terms of consumer convenience.

Commenting on his decision to add Dash, BlockPay payment system CEO Christoph Hering described Bitcoin as “unsexy.”

“I think that the Dash Network is different because it has a strong and active community, a great worker system funding growth and marketing plus an active development team that is building the right tools for mass adoption,” he said.