Kraken is in talks to acquire a 15% stake in Aave Group, the entity behind the DeFi protocol Aave, at an implied valuation of $385 million. Under the proposed transaction, Kraken would invest 35,000 ETH in exchange for 250,000 AAVE tokens and a 15% equity stake, valuing the deal at approximately $71 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The investment would mark the first deal under Kraken’s planned Payward Asset Management initiative and deepen its expansion into DeFi and strategic investments.