Wyoming-based Kraken parent Payward, Digital Asset Special Investments I, LP and asset management clients acquired an undisclosed amount of AAVE tokens through secondary-market transactions. Payward may purchase additional tokens while holding early-stage discussions with Aave about possible cooperation, although neither side has announced a partnership, proposed products, agreed terms or a timetable. Earlier discussions in June 2026 involved 250,000 AAVE tokens and a proposed 15% common-equity stake in Aave Group at a $385 million valuation, but that arrangement was not realized and the current announcement does not disclose an equity purchase. The investment extends Payward's expansion into asset management, structured yield, tokenized investments and decentralized finance alongside its trading, banking and financial-infrastructure businesses. Aave's network had about $33 billion in net deposits and $11 billion in active loans, according to the announcement. AAVE ownership also carries governance voting rights, though Payward has not disclosed its holdings or voting plans.