ETHZilla acquired two jet engines via a new aerospace subsidiary in a $12.2 million deal, regulatory filings show. The engines are leased to a major airline, and ETHZilla engaged Aero Engine Solutions to manage them for a monthly fee. The deal includes a buy-sell option allowing either party to buy or sell the engines for $3 million at lease expiration, provided the engines remain in proper condition.
This acquisition aligns with ETHZilla’s pivot toward asset tokenization, as the firm partners with a regulated broker-dealer and takes stakes in companies to bring auto loans and home loans on-chain. In December a shareholder letter outlined plans to tokenize assets in collaboration with Liquidity.io, a regulated broker-dealer and SEC-registered ATS. Earlier, ETHZilla took a 15% stake in Zippy, a lender focused on manufactured home loans, with plans to tokenize those loans as compliant, tradable instruments, and it also acquired a stake in auto finance platform Karus with prospects to bring loans on-chain. The company has framed its strategy as building a scalable tokenization pipeline across asset classes with predictable cash flows and global investor demand.
The aerospace market context includes a supply squeeze, with IATA saying airline members would be forced to pay about $2.6 billion to lease additional spare engines in 2025. The global aircraft engine leasing market is expected to grow from $11.17 billion in 2025 to $15.56 billion by 2031 at a 5.68% CAGR, according to TechSci Research. The move comes as digital asset treasuries face growing pressure amid crypto markets’ tumble. ETHZilla previously sold $40 million of ETH in October to fund a stock buyback program, then offloaded another $74.5 million in December to redeem outstanding debt, and its stock has tumbled roughly 97% since its August peak.
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