Samsung Wallet Opens Stablecoin Access to 82 Million Devices in the U.S.
Samsung Electronics America announced on October 7 that the stablecoin wallet feature will be available to eligible Galaxy users in the U.S. starting the last week of October. The initial rollout will cover 82 million Galaxy devices in the U.S., with further markets to follow based on local regulations.
Users do not need to install a separate crypto application or manage private keys themselves. Remittances will be integrated into the existing interface, alongside bank cards, boarding passes, and identification documents. When selecting "Buy Stablecoin," USDC will be the default dollar stablecoin. Funds can be transferred to compatible wallets or to qualified bank accounts in over 60 countries, with recipients possibly receiving local currency. The fiat currency entry and exit channels will handle conversions with local currencies.
USDC is operated jointly by Bastion and Coinbase. Bastion is a licensed custodian and infrastructure provider supervised by U.S. financial regulators, responsible for custody, account operations, compliance, and the cross-border payment framework. Coinbase acts as the secondary custodian for USDC through Coinbase Prime Vault. On-chain network support is provided by capable partners, including Solana and Sui, as named by Samsung.
On the same day, the Solana Foundation stated that Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay will support stablecoins on Solana, with the underlying network hidden behind a familiar user interface. It also noted that the supply of stablecoins on Solana has increased by nearly 20% year-on-year, processing over $5.25 trillion in stablecoin transactions by 2026. Samsung's official announcement did not specify that the initial network would only be Solana.
This marks the next chapter in Samsung's existing collaboration with Coinbase. Previously, the Coinbase app had listed Samsung Pay as a payment option, and eligible users could access Coinbase One benefits through Samsung Wallet. During the Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, product lead Lee Dinham mentioned that stablecoins would become a layer for quick transfers within the wallet when introducing the U.S. Galaxy Card in partnership with Barclays and Visa.
The buyers are Galaxy users looking to make cross-border remittances without managing keys separately, while the sellers are bank remittance channels and independent crypto wallets. This is a distribution driven by pre-installed entry points, not announced remittance volumes. Funds will shift from wire transfers and currency exchange points to USDC within wallets and local currency deposits in over 60 countries. Beneficiaries include Coinbase, Bastion, Solana, and Sui in this custody and settlement chain, while those charging transaction fees and requiring users to switch to external applications will face pressure.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Samsung Wallet originally included cards, boarding passes, and identification, with payment collaborations involving Visa and Barclays' Galaxy Card. Coinbase first integrated Samsung Pay into its app, then introduced Coinbase One benefits into the wallet. In October, USDC was added to the same entry point, with custody assigned to Bastion and secondary custody to Coinbase Prime Vault, while the networks mentioned are Solana and Sui. The path is to leverage existing payment relationships and create a layer for stablecoins that does not require separate app installations.
Funds are held in custody, not in user private keys. When users click to buy, they see USDC by default, and funds can be sent to compatible wallets or bank accounts in over 60 countries and converted to local currency. The Solana Foundation provided network-side data: supply increased nearly 20% year-on-year, with stablecoin transaction volume exceeding $5.25 trillion by 2026. Samsung provided device-side access: 82 million Galaxy devices in the U.S., launching in the last week of October. Not requiring users to manage private keys effectively turns on-chain addresses into wallet balances.
This is similar to how Apple integrated transit cards into Wallet and WeChat Pay incorporated small change into chats; it represents the same stage, but not the same asset. Phone manufacturers sell the interface that users open daily. This stablecoin launch is initially in the U.S., with other markets pending regulatory approval. The July event was merely a preview, with the custodians and networks detailed in the October announcement.
Essentially, this represents a shift in pricing power. The quotes for cross-border remittances have long been tied to bank wire transfers and currency exchange points. Once a pre-installed wallet can directly purchase USDC and deposit into local currency accounts, the fees and transaction times will shift from bank counters to mobile interfaces. The mechanism is that users will not want to manage private keys just to send money. Whoever controls the Galaxy wallet button will determine whether USDC, Solana, and Sui can become the default remittance routes.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
Once the pre-installed entry is opened, users no longer need to download a wallet.
Not giving private keys to users allows balances to function successfully.
The pricing power for remittances follows the application that users open daily.