What could affect the price of DAI?

Dai continues to evolve as a stablecoin with steady resilience.

1. Regulatory Changes – New EU and U.S. rules are reshaping how stablecoins comply (Mixed to Bearish)
2. Growing Adoption – Payment cards and DeFi strategies are boosting Dai’s real-world use (Bullish)
3. Collateral Status – Adding real-world assets and governance updates bring mixed effects

In-Depth Look

1. Regulatory Changes (Mixed to Bearish)

Summary:
The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) requires stablecoins to keep 60% of their reserves in EU banks by 2026. Meanwhile, the U.S. GENIUS Act demands monthly reports on reserves. Dai’s decentralized design supports transparency, but some centralized stablecoins like USDT have been removed from EU exchanges starting late 2025. This creates both challenges and opportunities for Dai.

What this means:
Stricter regulations might temporarily limit Dai’s liquidity in regulated markets. However, Dai’s transparent and decentralized nature could help it gain market share as a trusted alternative. The recent delisting of centralized stablecoins shows Dai’s advantage, though MiCA’s reserve rules may restrict how flexible Dai can be with its collateral.

2. Growing Adoption (Bullish)

Summary:
Stablecoin payment cards from providers like Crypto.com and Binance grew by 300% year-over-year in 2025. Dai is increasingly used for cross-border money transfers. Dragonfly Capital predicts 2026 will be a breakout year for stablecoin card use. Polygon processed 452 million stablecoin transactions in 2025, showing strong real-world demand.

What this means:
More everyday use of Dai reduces dependence on speculative trading and helps keep its value stable. According to the Dragonfly report, many users don’t even realize they’re using crypto technology, which could quietly expand Dai’s $5.36 billion market cap.

3. Collateral Status (Mixed)

Summary:
In late 2025, MakerDAO approved adding BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund as new collateral, increasing Dai’s backing by real-world assets (RWA). Still, 38% of Dai’s collateral is crypto-based, which means it’s exposed to price swings in cryptocurrencies like Ethereum. The system maintains an average collateralization ratio of 145%, providing a safety buffer but requiring careful management.

What this means:
Diversifying collateral with real-world assets (now 38% as per MakerDAO docs) lowers the risk tied to crypto market ups and downs but may invite more regulatory oversight. If managed well, this could help Dai stay stable during market turbulence. Poor execution, however, might lead to forced liquidations.

Conclusion

Dai’s price stability depends on balancing new regulations, growing real-world use, and strong collateral management. While challenges from MiCA and DeFi competitors exist, Dai’s decentralized governance and expanding applications give it a unique position. Will Dai increase its real-world asset collateral to 50% by mid-2026, solidifying its hybrid model of stability?

What are people saying about DAI?

Social conversations around DAI show cautious optimism, focusing on its use as a stablecoin and recent airdrop excitement. Here’s what’s trending:

1. Analysts predict a slight price increase soon, supported by steady fundamentals.
2. DAI ranks among the top cryptocurrencies with positive sentiment.
3. Technical indicators suggest a weak upward trend but advise short-term caution.

Deep Dive

1. @VU_virtuals: Slight price rise expected with steady fundamentals

"my prediction is a slight increase; i think the price $DAI may possibly rise in the next few hours... fundamentals remain steady."
– @VU_virtuals (9.6K followers · 34.3K impressions · 2026-01-03 22:42 UTC)
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What this means: This is positive news for DAI. It points to more people holding DAI and increased demand driven by its practical uses. MakerDAO’s recent upgrades help reduce risks related to centralized collateral, making DAI more reliable.

2. @MarketProphit: DAI among top bullish cryptocurrencies by sentiment

"Top 3 Bullish Sentiment Cryptos: CROWD\n\n 🟩 $APP $CAMP $DAI"
– @MarketProphit (70.2K followers · 18.3K impressions · 2025-12-28 16:20 UTC)
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What this means: Being ranked as one of the most positively viewed cryptocurrencies shows strong community support and favorable algorithmic signals. This can attract more users and increase liquidity for DAI.

3. @Lutessia_IA: Weak bullish trend with short-term caution

"🤖 $DAI $DAIUSD #DAI - 1H: ... tendance de fond faiblement haussière... court terme timidement baissier..."
– @Lutessia_IA (1.5K followers · 41 impressions · 2026-01-04 08:35 UTC)
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What this means: This is a neutral signal for DAI. While the overall trend is slightly positive, short-term downward pressure suggests limited price changes around the $1 mark, which is typical for stablecoins like DAI.

Conclusion

The overall outlook for DAI is cautiously optimistic. Its stability and growing use in airdrops and decentralized finance (DeFi) are strengths, even though technical signals advise some short-term caution. Keep an eye on DAI’s supply levels for signs of increased adoption or redemptions.

What is the latest news about DAI?

Dai is adapting to new regulations while gaining popularity as a payment option. Here are the key updates:

1. MiCAR Limits DAI Use in Europe (January 7, 2026) – Crypto exchanges stop DAI trading in the European Economic Area due to new EU rules.
2. Stablecoin Payment Cards Grow in 2026 (January 10, 2026) – DAI is part of a growing trend of stablecoin cards accepted worldwide.

Deep Dive

1. MiCAR Limits DAI Use in Europe (January 7, 2026)

Overview:
The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) has led crypto exchanges to block buying and swapping of DAI, USDT, and USDP within the European Economic Area (EEA). MiCAR aims to increase transparency about stablecoin reserves and protect consumers.

What this means:
This is a setback for DAI in the short term because it restricts access for over 500 million people in a regulated market. However, it also pushes MakerDAO, the organization behind DAI, to speed up efforts to meet these regulations. Successfully doing so could build more trust with large financial institutions.
(NaNaTheApe)

2. Stablecoin Payment Cards Grow in 2026 (January 10, 2026)

Overview:
Dragonfly Capital predicts rapid growth for payment cards that use stablecoins like DAI in 2026. Major companies such as Crypto.com support these cards, which let users spend digital dollars (like DAI) by converting them to local currency at checkout through Visa or Mastercard networks.

What this means:
This is positive news for DAI’s everyday use, expanding beyond just decentralized finance (DeFi) into regular shopping and payments. This could especially boost demand in countries where access to U.S. dollars is limited.
(CoinMarketCap)

Conclusion

While Dai faces regulatory challenges in Europe, it is making strides as a practical payment method worldwide. The question remains: can MakerDAO turn these regulatory hurdles into an opportunity to build greater trust?

What is expected in the development of DAI?

Based on the latest information available through January 2026, there are no specific upcoming roadmap milestones for Dai (DAI) scheduled after January 10, 2026. The most notable recent updates involve MakerDAO’s rebranding to Sky Protocol and the gradual shift from DAI to a new stablecoin called USDS. However, detailed future technical upgrades or governance plans specifically for DAI have not been publicly outlined.

TLDR

Dai’s future is closely linked to MakerDAO’s broader changes:

1. Ongoing integration of Sky Protocol (2025–2026)
2. Expansion across multiple blockchain networks (ongoing)
3. Adjustments to meet new regulations (2026)

Deep Dive

1. Ongoing Sky Protocol Integration (2025–2026)

What’s happening: MakerDAO rebranded as Sky Protocol in August 2024 (source) and introduced USDS, a new stablecoin designed to eventually replace DAI. While DAI is still in use, the focus is shifting toward adopting USDS. This involves moving governance from MKR tokens to SKY tokens and improving how collateral is managed through smaller units called SubDAOs, now known as "Stars."

What this means for DAI: DAI will continue to function but is becoming less of a priority. Keep an eye on DAI’s circulating supply as a sign of how quickly users are moving to USDS.

2. Multi-Chain Expansion (Ongoing)

What’s happening: DAI is expanding beyond its original blockchain to Layer 2 solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism, as well as other blockchains such as BNB Smart Chain (source). This helps more decentralized finance (DeFi) apps use DAI by making it more accessible.

What this means for DAI: This is good news in the short term because it increases liquidity and usability. However, it also introduces risks since these cross-chain bridges can be vulnerable to hacks, like the GMX exploit in July 2025 that affected wrapped assets.

3. Regulatory Adaptation (2026)

What’s happening: New global rules for stablecoins, such as the European Union’s MiCA regulation, require DAI to improve its compliance and legal structures. MakerDAO is looking into creating legal entities to reduce risks related to different jurisdictions (source).

What this means for DAI: Compliance efforts could increase costs, which might be a downside. On the other hand, clearer regulations could encourage more institutional investors to use DAI. Watching MakerDAO’s financial reports will help track these developments.

Conclusion

Dai’s future depends largely on MakerDAO’s shift toward USDS and its ability to adapt to new regulations. It will be interesting to see how competition from other stablecoins like USDe and USD₮ might influence DAI’s approach to backing its value and maintaining stability.

What updates are there in the DAI code base?

There have been no major updates to Dai (DAI)’s code in the past six years.

1. Core Contract Unchanged Since 2019 – The main smart contract for Dai’s token (called dai.sol) hasn’t been changed since 2019.
2. Security Warnings from 2019 – Documentation points out risks like unlimited approvals and a known ERC20 vulnerability.
3. Rebrand to USDS in 2024 – MakerDAO shifted governance to Sky Protocol and upgraded DAI to a new token called USDS.

Deep Dive

1. Core Contract Unchanged Since 2019

What happened:
The main smart contract that runs Dai’s token hasn’t been updated since 2019. This contract handles important functions like creating new tokens (minting), destroying tokens (burning), and approving token transfers.

Why it matters:
This is a mixed signal. On one hand, having stable code means fewer surprises or bugs. On the other hand, it might mean slower improvements or updates. Users can expect consistent behavior, but older code might be harder to maintain over time. (Source)

2. Security Warnings from 2019

What happened:
MakerDAO’s documentation warns about two main security issues:

• Unlimited Approvals: If a user gives unlimited permission to a contract to spend their DAI, it could be risky if that contract is compromised.
• ERC20 Race Condition: An older vulnerability in the ERC20 token standard that DAI uses, though DAI’s design reduces this risk.

Why it matters:
These warnings suggest some security concerns haven’t been fully resolved. Users need to be careful about which contracts they interact with and manage their token approvals carefully. (Source)

3. Rebrand to USDS in 2024

What happened:
In October 2024, MakerDAO changed its governance structure to a new system called Sky Protocol. Along with this, the DAI token was upgraded and renamed USDS, keeping a 1:1 value ratio. They also introduced a new governance token called SKY and added features like staking rewards. However, the core way collateral works stayed the same.

Why it matters:
This change is mostly about branding and governance, not technical upgrades. Existing DAI holders can convert their tokens to USDS without losing value, so the transition is smooth. (Source)

Conclusion

Dai’s underlying code hasn’t seen major updates since 2019, aside from the recent governance rebranding to USDS and SKY. While the stable codebase is a plus, the presence of old security warnings means users should stay cautious. Looking ahead, regulatory changes like MiCA compliance in 2026 could influence how DAI’s technology evolves.