Samsung Wallet USDC on Solana starts late October

Key Takeaways

U.S. launch	Samsung Electronics America said on Oct. 7, 2026, that eligible Galaxy users in the United States can send USDC from Samsung Wallet in the final week of October 2026. Recipients can be paid in a crypto wallet or in a local-currency bank deposit in more than 60 countries, Samsung said.
82 million phones	Samsung said the figure counts U.S. Galaxy devices that already work with Samsung Wallet, not every phone it has sold. A user must be a U.S. resident, 18 or older, on Android 13 or higher, and must pass an identity check.
Solana and Sui	Samsung named both Solana and Sui for blockchain support. The Solana Foundation also said Samsung Pay will carry the transfers. Samsung's own release does not say that.
Who holds USDC	Bastion will keep the balances, and Coinbase will hold the coins in Coinbase Prime Vault, Samsung said. Samsung said it is not a custodian and will not hold customer funds.

Samsung Electronics America said on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, that Samsung Wallet USDC transfers will open for eligible U.S. Galaxy users in the final week of October. Users can send the dollar stablecoin to crypto wallets abroad or to bank accounts in more than 60 countries, the company said. It named Solana and Sui as the blockchain networks.

Samsung Wallet USDC on 82 million Galaxy phones

Samsung Wallet USDC will sit inside the app Galaxy owners already use for cards, IDs and boarding passes, Samsung's Oct. 7 release said. Samsung Electronics America issued the statement from Plano, Texas. Eligible users will be able to buy USDC in the app and send it without a separate crypto wallet.

USDC is a stablecoin, a digital token meant to track the U.S. dollar. Samsung called it a "U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin" and the first one Wallet will support. CoinDesk and Decrypt identify it as Circle's USDC. Samsung's release does not name Circle as a partner.

The 82 million figure counts U.S. Galaxy devices compatible with Samsung Wallet, a footnote in the release says. Samsung limits the service to users who meet all of these tests:

• A U.S. resident, age 18 or older, with a Samsung account.
• A Galaxy device that supports Samsung Wallet and runs Android 13 or higher.
• Registration, an identity check, and biometric approval on that device.

"Sending money abroad should feel as convenient as using the wallet already on your phone," said Woncheol Chai, executive vice president and head of the Digital Wallet Team in Samsung Electronics' Mobile eXperience business. He said users can start without installing another app or managing private keys. A private key is the secret that controls a typical crypto wallet. Samsung said a regulatory framework for stablecoins is already in place, but it did not name the law.

Solana, Sui and the Samsung Pay claim

The Solana Foundation said on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, that Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay will support stablecoins on Solana. Its New York announcement said U.S. users will send cross-border USDC from the Wallet screen, with Solana running in the background. Lily Liu, president of the Solana Foundation, said Samsung's decision to work with Solana "puts digital dollars into everyday life through one of the world's most trusted technology brands."

Samsung's own release does not mention Samsung Pay for these transfers. It says blockchain support will come from partners "including Solana and Sui." Decrypt followed the Solana Foundation and reported that Samsung Pay is included. CoinDesk reported both networks, and reported that Bastion will custody the coins.

The Sui Foundation's Oct. 8 post says Samsung picked Sui as its blockchain partner and that users will send USDC on Sui. It says the SUI token will not be supported. Bastion's Oct. 7 announcement sides with Samsung: Solana and Sui will both provide the networks. No release says which transfer uses which chain.

Solana said its network processed more than $5.25 trillion in stablecoin volume in 2026, with supply up nearly 20 percent from a year earlier. Sui said it has processed more than $1 trillion in stablecoin transfers since August 2025.

Bastion, Coinbase and the fees

Samsung said it is not a bank, a money transmitter or a digital asset custodian, and that it does not hold customer funds. Bastion will custody the USDC and move it. Samsung said Bastion holds a New York trust charter as Bastion Platforms Trust Company, LLC, and has preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter.

Bastion said it will keep each balance, verify identity, screen addresses, and monitor transactions for fraud, money laundering and sanctions. Coinbase is the sub-custodian. Samsung said every USDC balance in Wallet will sit in Coinbase Prime Vault, and that a transfer can start only on a registered phone after a biometric check.

Samsung said it will not charge a fee to send USDC to a compatible external wallet, and that those transfers can finish in seconds. A footnote adds three limits: the recipient's wallet or exchange may charge, speed depends on the network, and transfers to sanctioned places are barred.

Samsung said users can send funds to eligible accounts in more than 60 countries, paid in local currency, with no crypto wallet required on the other side. Fees vary by country and amount, and the app is supposed to show the charge before the sender confirms. Samsung has not published the country list or the fee table.

Kevin Lehtiniitty, chief executive of Borderless.xyz, told Cointelegraph that his company will handle those bank payouts. Samsung and Bastion do not name Borderless.xyz in their releases. The Sui Foundation said USDC transfers on Sui have carried a network fee of $0.00 since May 2026. Samsung did not say that every Wallet transfer will use that option.

Samsung said later steps may include online payments and in-store taps on a Galaxy phone, with other countries added only if local rules allow. No release gives a calendar day inside the final week of October 2026.

What Samsung showed on July 22

At Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, 2026, Samsung said Wallet would support stablecoins, and a sample screen showed USDC, Chosun Biz reported on July 29. Samsung named no blockchain, issuer or launch date then, Decrypt reported. Decrypt's Oct. 8 article described the same London demonstration.

This article is news, not financial advice.