Dash, derived from "Digital Cash," is an open-source blockchain and cryptocurrency that strives to provide a global payments network that is decentralized. Launched in January 2014 as a fork of Litecoin, Dash has evolved to include features such as a two-tier network with incentivized nodes, including "masternodes," and decentralized project governance. It also offers InstantSend which is able to settle payments faster than, for example, Bitcoin. Dash also offers ChainLocks which seeks to reduce the likelihood of 51% attacks, and PrivateSend for optional transaction privacy. Dash was conceived by software developers Evan Duffield and Kyle Hagan, initially under the name XCoin, and later rebranded to Dash in March 2015.