Peter Thiel-backed DAT firm ETHZilla acquired two CFM56-7B24 aircraft engines for $12.2 million. The transaction was conducted through a specially created subsidiary, ETHZilla Aerospace LLC.
The equipment has already been leased to a major airline, with Aero Engine Solutions handling the maintenance.
The agreement includes an option: at the end of the lease term, either party may demand the purchase or sale of the engines for $3 million each, provided they are in proper condition.
The investment is driven by a shortage of components in the industry. According to IATA, airlines will spend about $2.6 billion on leasing spare engines in 2025. Analysts at TechSci Research forecasted the leasing market in this segment to grow to $15.56 billion by 2031.
Change of Course
The purchase of tangible assets comes amid financial difficulties for ETHZilla. Since August, the company’s shares have plummeted by 97%.
In the autumn and winter, the firm actively reduced its cryptocurrency reserves:
- in October, it sold ETH worth $40 million to facilitate stock buybacks;
- in December, coins were sold for $74.5 million to pay off debts.
The company is now focusing on the RWA segment. ETHZilla plans to tokenize the acquired assets in partnership with regulated broker Liquidity.io.
Previously, the firm acquired a 15% stake in lender Zippy and invested in the auto loan platform Karus. These loans are also planned to be digitized. ETHZilla expects to present its first tokenized products in the first quarter of this year.
Ethereum Whale
A major Ethereum holder, inactive for nine years, moved 50,000 ETH to a Gemini exchange deposit address. The coins are valued at approximately $145 million.
一个休眠了 9 年之久的 ETH 巨鲸地址，在最近 12 个小时里醒来把 5 万枚 ETH ($1.45 亿) 转进了 Gemini 交易所。
◎这个地址在 9 年前从 Bitfinex 交易所提出 13.5 万枚 ETH ($1217 万)，当时 ETH 价格约 $90。目前价格相较当时上涨了 32 倍。
◎在今天转出 5 万枚 ETH 后，这个地址仍持有 8.5 万枚… pic.twitter.com/GSyphyyIgF— 余烬 (@EmberCN) January 26, 2026
Analysts at EmberCN, citing Arkham data, noted the transactions. According to their information, the wallet 0xb5…Fb168D6 made two transfers of 25,000 ETH each, spaced a few hours apart.
The address had been inactive since 2017, when the investor withdrew 135,000 ETH from the Bitfinex platform at a rate of about $90 per coin. The asset valuation at that time was $12.17 million. The whale’s balance now stands at 85,283 ETH.
Similar activity was previously observed in the Bitcoin network. Last week, an unknown entity moved 909 BTC after 13 years of inactivity.
The transfer to the exchange coincided with a market correction. At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading around $2915 (-0.6% for the day).
Earlier in January, analysts at Pantera Capital predicted the collapse of small crypto treasuries.