Samsung Wallet Adds USDC This Month: 82 Million Galaxy Phones Can Send Stablecoins Abroad, but You Do Not Hold the Keys

The Solana Foundation announced on October 8 that Samsung Wallet will launch USDC cross-border transfers for U.S. users in the last week of October, reaching 82 million U.S. Galaxy devices at launch.

Three key facts

82 million devices, two blockchains, 60-plus countries. According to launch details compiled by Solana Compass, the partners are Samsung Electronics America, the Solana Foundation, the Sui Foundation, Coinbase and Bastion, with Solana and Sui both serving as networks and no disclosed split between them. Users can send USDC to compatible crypto wallets or straight to bank accounts in more than 60 countries, where recipients get local currency and need no crypto wallet.

Users never touch a private key. Bastion keeps each user's ledger and executes the on-chain transfers, while Coinbase Prime Vault holds the USDC as sub-custodian. To qualify you must be a U.S. resident aged 18 or older with a Samsung account and a Galaxy phone on Android 13 or later, and pass identity verification and biometric authentication.

The fees are not fully public yet. Samsung charges nothing for transfers to crypto wallets, though network and provider fees may apply. Bank transfers carry fees that vary by country and amount, shown before confirmation, and the full schedule has not been published. Solana Foundation President Lily Liu said Samsung's decision puts digital dollars into everyday life.

WangDou's Take

Crypto has preached hold your own keys for more than a decade. Now, on the day stablecoins finally land on 82 million phones, Bastion holds the keys, Coinbase holds the coins, and what you hold is a fingerprint scan. In plain English, it is a remittance app with a blockchain in the back office, and the only difference from a bank counter is the missing queue. The real story is the fee schedule nobody has published yet. Western Union has been called a rip-off for decades; if Samsung charges about the same, this on-chain upgrade is just the old counter in a new outfit.

Source: Solana · Samsung Partners with Solana · Solana Compass