Astrid Intelligence PLC (AQSE:ASTR) earlier this week confirmed the acquisition of approximately 1,377.98 Ethereum (ETH) as part of its evolving digital asset strategy.
The company said the investment, valued at £4.50 million, reflects its focus on supporting the future operational environment of its autonomous wellness AI agents.
Executive chair Olivia Edwards said the purchase is a “big milestone” and directly aligns with Astrid’s long-term business strategy.
Proactive: Olivia, very good to speak with you. You've just announced your initial purchase of Ethereum, in fact, £4.5 million worth. Can you tell us a bit about what this means for Astrid and how this fits into your digital asset strategy? And the business?
Olivia Edwards: We are really, really excited to announce our first major Ethereum purchase. We bought 1,377.98 ETH for a combined investment of £4.5 million. This is a big milestone for us at Astrid and as a company, and represents how we're thinking about the future of the business.
Ethereum is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency. It's also the backbone of smart contracts and decentralized applications, and that's exactly where we see our AI agents operating in the coming years.
When our autonomous wellness agents are making recommendations and facilitating transactions, they'll likely be doing it on platforms powered by Ethereum. This purchase also joins our existing holdings in Bitcoin, Solana, and Bittensor, giving us a more diversified and strategically aligned treasury.
It's not just about having crypto for the sake of it for us. These assets are directly supporting where our business is heading. And the timing works perfectly with our move to AQUIS; showing investors that we're serious about being a technology-forward company built for the long term.
Proactive: Olivia, as you mentioned, you've moved to AQUIS, and that happened earlier this week. And you've announced the restoration of trading today. It's unusual to move from the London Stock Exchange. Can you tell us a bit more about the decision to move to AQUIS and what this means for the future of the company?
Olivia Edwards: Absolutely, yes. I understand that it is an unusual move, but when we started looking at the future of Astrid and where Astrid was heading, the main market constraints just weren't exactly working for us anymore. The AQUIS growth market gives us the operational freedom we need, especially for our digital asset strategy, but also keeping up and maintaining the proper governance standards.
Since we are a digital-first business at our core, between our AI operations on Bittensor and our treasury in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and TAO tokens, we needed an exchange that really understands growth companies — and especially growth companies with digital asset strategies. AQUIS has proven themselves and they have become that platform. This isn't about changing direction for us. It's about positioning ourselves correctly where we can execute faster and more effectively.
So we're still laser-focused on AI, intelligent AI, and strategic asset management. But now we can move at the speed that our business demands and that we want to move at. And for investors, this means that we can deliver value more efficiently while also keeping up all of the transparency and standards that they have come to know and expect.
Proactive: The name change to Astrid is also new. Can you tell us a bit more about that and why you've done it?
Olivia Edwards: Yeah, absolutely. So the rebrand to Astrid Intelligence really captures what we've become as a company. Our core business hasn't changed. We're still developing autonomous AI agents and managing a strategic digital asset treasury. But the name now reflects our dual focus much more clearly. And it's perfect timing with our AQUIS listing.
We're essentially starting a fresh chapter and having a name that immediately communicates both our AI intelligence work and our technology-forward approach. So to us, it just made sense. When people hear Astrid Intelligence, they understand we're about advanced AI development and strategic digital asset management. And it removes any confusion about what we do.
Proactive: Maybe just take a step backwards, Olivia — could you explain the fundamentals of the business and what you do in the wellness space?
Olivia Edwards: Absolutely. So at the heart of Astrid, we're building AI agents that act like personal wellness advisors in your pocket. And these aren't just chatbots. They're sophisticated systems that learn your preferences and deliver genuinely personalized recommendations for everything from fitness to nutrition to lifestyle choices.
What makes us different, though, is how we've built this. Our AI agent operates on subnet 127 of the Bittensor network. Think of this as our dedicated highway within a decentralized AI ecosystem. Participants contribute computing power, data and models, and in return, we capture TAO token emissions. So we're actually generating these emissions while training our AI agents, which is pretty unique.
Practically speaking, our agents tap into a database of over 100,000 vetted wellness products.
Proactive: Olivia, following that Ethereum purchase that you just announced, what are your targets for the future?
Olivia Edwards: Our initial acquisition of approximately 1,400 ETH establishes a great foundation for disciplined accumulation over time. As a company, rather than setting rigid numerical targets, our approach focuses on strategic digital asset accumulation — progressively increasing our Ethereum exposure while maintaining diversification also across Bitcoin, Solana and Bittensor.
Proactive: Olivia, I hope you'll continue to keep us updated with your progress.