Luxury Brokerage Christie’s Allows Buyers to Purchase Real Estate With Crypto: NYT

Christie’s International Real Estate has launched a dedicated division to facilitate real estate transactions conducted entirely in cryptocurrency, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

Spearheaded by Aaron Kirman, CEO of a Christie’s-affiliated firm in Los Angeles, the initiative follows several high-profile deals, including a $65 million Beverly Hills transaction where crypto was used exclusively.

The new division comprises legal, financial, and crypto experts to handle peer-to-peer transactions without reliance on banks. The goal is to enable high-end buyers and sellers — often seeking privacy — to use digital assets seamlessly for real-world property acquisitions.

With roughly 14% of Americans owning crypto, Kirman projects that digital currency could represent over a third of U.S. residential real estate deals within five years.

The use of crypto offers enhanced buyer anonymity, often via LLCs funded directly with digital assets, making ownership harder to trace than traditional banking channels.

Kirman’s crypto-accepting portfolio now exceeds $1 billion in value, including marquee properties like the $118M La Fin in Bel Air and Joshua Tree’s $17.95M Invisible House.

Christie’s did not respond to CoinDesk’s request for further