Kraken's parent company Payward announced that its affiliated fund, Digital Asset Special Investments I, LP, alongside its clients, has acquired an undisclosed stake of AAVE—the native token of the Aave network—via secondary market purchases, with possibilities of further acquisitions going forward. Spearheaded by Payward Asset Management, the deal responds to escalating institutional demand for exposure to top-tier DeFi and onchain credit infrastructure.