The Allplane Podcast #138: the tokenization of the aircraft engine, w/ John Kristoff & Max Van der Griend
Blockchain technology has been making headlines for quite a few years, so perhaps may come as a surprise to many of you that its use in fields such as aerospace finance has been rather limited to date.
But this may soon change if a Florida-based company, Forum Markets (previously known as ETHZilla) gets its way.
On this episode of the podcast, two of Forum Markets’ VPs, John Kristoff and Max Van der Griend, explain they have used Ethereum-based tokens to securitize airliner engine leases for a major US carrier, opening up this segment of the aviation finance market to retail (accredited) investors.
If we are to judge by the size other asset-backed security markets have grown to, the potential is enormous!
Following the first successful deal in this space, which was closed in early 2026, John and Max have certainly plans to develop this concept further, perhaps expanding into adjacent market niches, such as aircraft leases.
Blockchain and aerospace leasing are two highly technical disciplines, so it is great to be able to learn about both of them directly from those that are innovating by linking them up to create new products and solutions.
So, tune in to find out how all this works!
And, before going into today’s episode, please, remember this is not financial advice and everything we discuss here on this podcast is for informational purposes only!
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Things we talk about in this episode
John and Max professional backgrounds
What is Forum Markets (previously ETHZilla)?
Why using Ethereum to tokenize engine leases is an interesting innovation?
How do you tokenize an engine lease?
What are the advantages of tokenizing engine leasing?
Who can invest in engine lease tokens?
Resources
Liquidity.io, the marketplace where the engine lease tokens are distributed
The press release about the first engine deal by Forum Markets, then known as ETHZilla.
Aero Engine Solutions, which is Forum-Markets industry partner in this project
The CFM56 engine, the type of engine which Forum-Markets has securitized
What is an accredited investor? The SEC explains it.
Our previous episode covering the basics of aircraft leasing (most of it applies to engine leasing too)
Another episode we did about blockchain technology uses in aviation, this one about airline ticketing
Podcast Music: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3762-five-armies
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Interview Transcript:
(please note that, although we strive to make it as close as possible to the original recording, the transcript may not be 100% accurate)
