ETHZilla Launches Eurus Aero Token I Linked to US Airline Lease Income

Highlights:

• The Eurus Aero Token I gives accredited investors access to lease income from two jet engines through 2028.
• ETHZilla funded the $12.2 million engine purchase after selling over $114 million in Ether.
• The token is priced at $100 with a projected 11% return tied to contracted lease payments.

ETHZilla, the Peter Thiel-backed technology company, has launched Eurus Aero Token I through its subsidiary, ETHZilla Aerospace. The token gives accredited investors exposure to lease income from two commercial jet engines. Both engines currently operate under lease agreements with a leading US air carrier through 2028. The company structured the offering around contracted cash flows tied to engine use.

ETHZilla acquired the engines in January for a combined $12.2 million. It priced Eurus Aero Token I at $100 per token and set a minimum purchase of 10 tokens. The company projects an 11% return for investors who hold the token through the full lease term. The lease package also includes a buy-sell provision that may return additional capital at maturity.

ETHZilla issues Eurus Aero Token I on Ethereum Layer 2 networks. Liquidity.io manages the distribution of the token to eligible buyers. Smart contracts allocate lease income directly to token holders. In addition, the structure relies on lease receivables, reserve accounts, and insurance coverage linked to the engines.

The company has limited participation to accredited investors. CEO McAndrew Rudisill said the structure expands access to aviation finance. He stated that blockchain tools allow fractional ownership of assets that institutional credit markets usually control. Aviation leasing firms such as AerCap and Willis Lease operate similar income models in traditional markets.

What Eurus Aero Token I Signals for ETHZilla’s Long-Term Strategy

Eurus Aero Token I marks a shift in ETHZilla’s capital strategy. The company previously operated as 180 Life Sciences before pivoting into digital assets. It later adopted a crypto treasury model centered on acquiring and holding Ether. During that phase, it disclosed holding 102,246 Ether at an average purchase price of $3,948.

Last year, ETHZilla sold more than $114 million worth of ETH. The company used part of those proceeds to finance the $12.2 million engine acquisition backing Eurus Aero Token I. Strategic Ether reserve trackers now estimate its holdings above 93,000 Ether.

Those figures show that EthZilla reduced its digital asset exposure from earlier levels. Rudisill said in December that EthZilla plans to move beyond simply holding Ethereum. He outlined a strategy focused on bringing income-producing assets on-chain through tokenization.

The company has also referenced plans to tokenize additional asset classes. These include home loans and car loans structured under similar frameworks. The launched token represents the first product launched under that expanded tokenization strategy.

Eurus Aero Token I Enters a Growing Tokenized Asset Market

Eurus Aero Token I launches at a time when tokenized real-world assets have expanded across blockchain networks. Data from RWA.xyz shows that more than $24 billion in RWAs currently sit on-chain. The dataset tracks over 846,000 holders across tokenized instruments.

Industry executives have projected further growth in 2026. Some have linked that outlook to adoption in emerging markets that face capital access constraints. Tokenized structures can package defined income streams into blockchain-based units. Aviation leasing already operates on contracted payment models tied to equipment use. EthZilla structured the Eurus Aero Token I around that established leasing framework.