Globally renowned DJ and producer Steve Aoki, who became one of the most famous celebrity proponents of cryptocurrencies and NFTs in recent years, has drastically reduced his crypto holdings. Five years after predicting that NFTs would become part of mainstream culture, Aoki has now sold most of his remaining digital assets.
Major losses hit Aoki’s portfolio
According to on-chain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, Steve Aoki’s wallet sold roughly 1.785 billion SHIB tokens for $10,300 and converted 7.25 ETH into about $15,900 this past Monday. Shortly after these sales, he transferred a total of $29,650 worth of USDT to the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini.
Just two weeks prior, a similar move saw 4.155 billion PEPE tokens liquidated for $14,700 via the 1inch platform. Smaller stablecoin transactions also took place, with varying amounts between $600 and $1,700 conducted through MetaMask during this period.
Though the values of these crypto sales might seem modest given Aoki’s overall portfolio, the real blow stems from his NFT investments acquired during the bull market.
During the NFT craze in 2021, Steve Aoki paid over $800,000 to acquire seven Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, emerging as one of the most vocal celebrity endorsers of the digital collectible phenomenon at that time.
Bored Ape NFTs tumble in value
However, as time passed, the NFT market continued its sharp downturn. The current combined value of Aoki’s seven Bored Apes has plummeted to just $97,000—a staggering 88 percent drop. While Aoki has yet to part with these NFTs, their floor prices clearly indicate massive paper losses.
During the peak of the NFT wave, Aoki also launched the “Dominion X” NFT TV show in partnership with Seth Green’s Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, raising funds through NFT sales. All 500 NFTs for the project sold out on Nifty Gateway in just 30 seconds. Aoki’s manager told CoinDesk that although the proceeds barely covered production costs, the initiative proved there was demand for blockchain-backed original intellectual property.
The sale barely met expenses, but it showed that there is potential for a blockchain market in original IP.
Market data validate the severe decline in the NFT sector. The floor price for Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, for example, has dropped from over $400,000 at the start of 2022 to below $14,000 today. Although Bitcoin soared past $126,000 to reach new all-time highs between 2023 and 2025, these gains failed to revive interest in NFTs. Investors have shifted their focus toward projects with genuine utility and real portfolio value, sidelining story-driven or speculative digital assets.
Currently, Steve Aoki continues to hold the seven Bored Ape NFTs in his wallet, while all other crypto assets have been sent to Gemini.
