ether.fi buys crypto wallet Zeal to pull users into its finance app

What's the deal? ether.fi has acquired Zeal, a self-custodial crypto wallet, and opened an in-app route for Zeal users to migrate to its own account and card product. The transaction value was not disclosed. Zeal says the deal covers selected assets, not user accounts, keys, or funds.

Why now? Zeal's wallet and card services are winding down, and Gnosis PayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s migration guide says its card services will end by December 20, 2026. That timeline gives departing Zeal users a reason to move — and ether.fi a ready pool of customers to attract.

What each side brings: Zeal runs on Gnosis Pay, offering Visa card spending under a self-custody model and a cash-yield service. ether.fi has been expanding its Cash product into a broader self-custodial financial app, adding lending, yield, and tokenised stock and gold trading.

What changes for users? Migration is optional. In its announcement, Zeal said: "You choose what to move, and nothing moves automatically." Users supply an email, create an ether.fi account, move selected balances, and complete identity verification before setting up a card.

What could go wrong? Supported assets move across unchanged, but unsupported ones are converted during migration, incurring network fees and potentially losing value. The migration page offers no conversion quote or asset-by-asset breakdown. Zeal customers can also choose other Gnosis Pay routes instead.

The signal: The transaction looks less like a conventional wallet takeover than a customer-migration play, giving ether.fi a path to grow its multi-asset finance app. With an undisclosed price and limited asset scope, its financial significance is hard to judge — but it fits a wider push to turn self-custodial wallets into full financial platforms.

Read more: tokenpost.com

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