Samsung Wallet Launches USDC on Solana Across 82 Million US Devices

Samsung Wallet activated stablecoin accounts on Thursday for eligible U.S. Galaxy users, supporting Circle's USDC on the Solana blockchain across roughly 82 million compatible devices. The feature lets users buy, hold, send and receive the dollar-pegged token inside Samsung's main wallet app, with no separate crypto application and no private key management.

The rollout follows Samsung's October 7 announcement that it had selected Solana for USDC transfers. The company first signaled stablecoin support plans over the summer.

Who holds the funds?

Bastion, a licensed stablecoin custodian and infrastructure provider, built the product with Samsung. Coinbase acts as Bastion's sub-custodian, safeguarding the USDC through its Coinbase Prime Vault. Samsung's disclosures state plainly that the account is a crypto wallet, not a bank account — a distinction that shapes the regulatory treatment of user funds.

"For a decade, stablecoins have proved the technology works," said Lily Liu, president of the Solana Foundation. "What they lacked was a way to reach the mainstream."

What does it cost users?

Samsung charges no fee for transfers between Samsung Wallet users in the U.S. or to compatible external crypto wallets, though third-party providers may impose their own charges. Other fee and eligibility details include:

• Credit card top-ups, including through Samsung Pay, carry a 4% fee.
• Withdrawals to a bank account or debit card also incur a fee.
• Users can send funds to qualifying bank accounts in more than 60 countries, where recipients may receive local currency; fees vary by destination.
• New users who make a first top-up of $50 or more can receive $25 in USDC.
• The service requires Android 13 or later and is open to U.S. residents 18 and older — except in New York, where it is unavailable.

Why Solana and why now?

"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, who leads the digital wallet team in Samsung's mobile business. "Solana helps us bring that experience to Samsung's scale."

The integration puts a regulated dollar token in the same app where Galaxy users already store credit cards and boarding passes. For Circle, the arrangement extends USDC distribution to hardware shipped at consumer scale rather than exchange listings alone. For Solana, it adds a payments use case to a chain already processing high transfer volumes at low fees.

The New York exclusion reflects the state's restrictive stablecoin licensing regime, which has kept several issuers and services out of that market.

Samsung said it expects to explore online and in-store stablecoin payments and to expand to additional markets, subject to local regulation. Those expansions will depend on how quickly other jurisdictions finalize stablecoin rules now working through legislatures and regulators worldwide.