Christie’s International Real Estate, one of the United States’ largest luxury brokerages, has launched a new division dedicated to handling property deals in digital currencies such as bitcoin, according to The New York Times report. The division allows buyers and sellers to complete deals entirely with digital currency, without involving banks.
The new unit, led by the CEO of Christie’s Southern California Aaron Kirman, was created after several major bitcoin and crypto property sales. It includes a team of lawyers, analysts, and crypto experts to manage digital transactions.
This shift comes after several multimillion dollar sales involving bitcoin, including a $65 million property in Beverly Hills where the buyer paid in crypto. Christie’s now lists over $1 billion in homes where sellers are willing to accept bitcoin.
“The trend was obvious — crypto is here to stay,” said Aaron Kirman, chief executive of a Christie’s subset headquartered in Los Angeles in an interview. “It’s only going to get bigger over the next few years.”
This development comes amid growing federal support for digital assets. President Trump recently signed the Genius Act to regulate stablecoins, and the House passed the Clarity Act aimed at easing restrictions on the crypto industry.
“Accepting cryptocurrency signals an openness to innovative buyers, some of whom are crypto millionaires and billionaires looking for real-world assets to diversify,” said the owner of Invisible House Chris Hanley.
Bitcoin is being used in real estate deals to maintain privacy, often through LLCs funded with bitcoin and crypto. According to Kirman, some sellers never learn the identity of the buyer. Buyers are bypassing banks entirely, using bitcoin as their main form of payment.
“We’ve been really successful at protecting buyer identity,” Mr. Kirman said. “And if my seller feels comfortable not knowing the identity of his buyer, then God bless America.”
Properties now listed for bitcoin include the $118 million La Fin mansion in Bel Air and the Invisible House in Joshua Tree, priced at nearly $18 million. Discussions are also underway with banks to explore bitcoin-backed financing.
In the latest episode of Bitcoin for Corporations, host Pierre Rochard and the CEO of Murano Global Investments, Elías Sacal, explore how Bitcoin is disrupting the traditional real estate investment model.
