82 Million Reasons: Galaxy Phones Poised to Out-Bank the Banks

Samsung Wallet will let eligible U.S. Galaxy users send Circle's USDC stablecoin across borders starting in the last week of October, with the feature initially available on 82 million compatible U.S. Galaxy devices. The functionality will extend to Samsung Pay and support transfers to compatible external crypto wallets internationally, alongside transfers to eligible bank accounts in more than 60 countries, where recipients can receive funds in their local currency. Samsung said users must complete identity verification to access the service, and that it will charge no fees for transfers to external crypto wallets while international bank transfers will incur fees.

The infrastructure stack pairs Bastion as stablecoin account and payment infrastructure provider with Coinbase as a sub-custodian through Coinbase Prime Vault. Samsung named Solana and Sui as technical partners, with the Solana Foundation announcing Wednesday that USDC transfers will run on Solana at launch. Built-in fiat on- and off-ramps will convert to and from local currency, with Solana's infrastructure operating "behind the scenes," according to the release. "Stablecoins have the potential to make moving money around the world faster and easier, and we want Galaxy users to be able to take advantage of that without having to navigate the complexity of traditional crypto tools," said Woncheol Chai, head of the digital wallet team at Samsung Electronics' mobile business. "Samsung's decision to work with Solana puts digital dollars into everyday life through one of the world's most trusted technology brands," said Lily Liu, president of the Solana Foundation.

The launch follows comments from Samsung executives at the Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, where Lee Dinham, Samsung's product manager, said "Samsung Wallet will expand beyond cash and savings. It will embrace new forms of digital value, including stablecoins." At the time, Samsung did not name a launch date, an issuer, or a blockchain. The release does not state whether Circle is a partner, whether users will hold their own keys, or what transfers will cost.

Stablecoin supply on Solana is up nearly 20% year over year, and the network has processed more than $5.25 trillion in stablecoin volume in 2026, according to the Foundation, which cited PayPal and Western Union as enterprises already using Solana for stablecoins. Visa has also tapped USDC on Solana for payment settlement. The company launched a blockchain wallet for Galaxy phones in 2019 and has since added crypto support on the Galaxy S20, Stellar integration, and hardware wallet connections; last October, it brought Coinbase into Samsung Wallet for 75 million U.S. users.