Datavault AI announced Thursday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NYIAX. The company claims this will give it control over blockchain-based trading technology and support the broader expansion of data and other tokenized real-world assets into institutional trading venues.
This announcement transforms the letter of intent dated October 13, 2025 into a formal merger agreement, deepening a relationship that already includes a licensing agreement and technology partnership announced in March 2025.
According to the company, NYIAX’s infrastructure will be combined with Datavault AI’s Information Data Exchange, DataScore, DataValue, and Data Vault AI tools to support tokenization, valuation, and trading across a variety of digital and real-world assets.
Datavault AI framed this deal as a way to incorporate institutional market structure into a category that has traditionally relied on bilateral transactions, particularly advertising and proprietary data.
The 8K filed on March 19 shows the deal is structured as an all-stock merger. Datavault AI has agreed to issue 78,947,368 shares of common stock to NYIAX stockholders at closing, but certain non-accredited investors will instead receive cash associated with the stock’s 5-day VWAP.
Upon closing of the transaction, two directors appointed by NYIAX will also join Datavault AI’s board of directors. Based on Datavault AI’s latest stock price of approximately $0.76, the basic stock consideration would represent a value of approximately $60 million, although this number is an estimate and may change with the stock price.
Datavault AI said the integrated platform will support several planned marketplaces, including the flagship information data exchange, the international element exchange for tokenized goods and industrial assets, the US Political Exchange, and the NYIAX advertising marketplace.
The company is also tying the acquisition to a Jan. 28 deal with Sports Illustrated to explore a sports-focused exchange of athletes’ names, images, likeness rights and related digital assets, with a commercial launch expected in the second half of 2026.
NYIAX has long promoted itself as an exchange built on the Nasdaq Financial Framework technology that guarantees advertising deals, with the goal of bringing more standardized pricing, transparency, and operational efficiency to media trading.
Datavault AI and NYIAX first announced their commercial and IP partnership in March 2025, pitching the combination as a way to turn data and digital rights into more liquid and tradable assets. Thursday’s deal signals that Datavault AI is looking to fully own its infrastructure, rather than simply partnering with it.
Datavault AI stock was down about 14% at around $0.78 in most recent trading on Thursday, giving the company a market cap of about $462 million.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gómez. Please see our Editorial Policy for more information on how we create and review content.
