Samsung Wallet to let US Galaxy users send USDC stablecoin from late October
In short
Samsung Electronics' US unit said on October 7 (local time) that it will add a stablecoin feature to Samsung Wallet that supports USDC, a dollar stablecoin issued by Circle. The service is due to start in the US in the last week of October and will be available on 82 million Galaxy devices there. Users will be able to send USDC without transfer fees to compatible crypto wallets or to bank accounts in more than 60 countries.
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Samsung Electronics' US unit said on October 7 (local time) that it will add a stablecoin feature to Samsung Wallet that supports USDC, a dollar-based stablecoin issued by Circle, Yonhap and Korea Economic Daily reported. According to Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily, the service will start in the US in the last week of October and will be available on 82 million Galaxy devices there. Kyunghyang Games, however, wrote that the specific launch schedule and supported regions had not been disclosed. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Yonhap reported that users will be able to send USDC within seconds and without transfer fees to compatible crypto wallets or to bank accounts in more than 60 countries. Seoul Economic Daily said users can buy USDC in Samsung Wallet and send it abroad without installing a separate crypto app or managing private keys themselves, with no fee charged. Chosun Ilbo described the fees as free or close to zero. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Samsung said stablecoin infrastructure firm Bastion and Coinbase Prime will hold all USDC in Samsung Wallet and support its security, while partners including Solana and Sui will provide infrastructure and blockchain network support, Yonhap reported. Korea Economic Daily said Coinbase announced on October 8 that it is taking part. Chosun Ilbo and Kyunghyang Games reported that Samsung chose Sui as its blockchain infrastructure partner. Kyunghyang Games said that Sui introduced a feature in May 2026 that lets users send stablecoins without paying network fees, so they do not need to hold SUI tokens. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
Chae Won-cheol (채원철), a vice president who heads the Digital Wallet Team in Samsung's MX business, spoke on October 8 at Token 2049, held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. He said Samsung would offer the simplest and easiest way to send digital dollars such as USDC, and that recipients in more than 60 countries could receive local currency or USDC. Adeniyi Abiodun, co-founder and chief product officer of Mysten Labs, said Sui provides the infrastructure for this activity to run 24 hours a day at no cost. [ 1 , 3 ]
Samsung said the wallet could later add online stablecoin payments and that more markets could follow depending on regulatory changes. Seoul Economic Daily reported that Samsung is also looking at payments made by tapping Galaxy devices on store terminals. Asked when the service could come to South Korea, Chae said the Digital Asset Basic Act must pass first. In a separate headline, Seoul Economic Daily reported that Samsung Wallet aims to manage deposit and investment accounts in one place. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Chosun Ilbo said more than 1.3 billion people worldwide are connected through cross-border remittances. In a Visa survey covering 20 markets, 41% of US remittance users said they would be willing to use stablecoins for transfers abroad. Kyunghyang Games cited a press release saying stablecoin transaction volume topped $83 trillion over the past 12 months. It also reported that SUI was trading at 1,446 won on the morning of October 9 on the DigitalX (formerly Korbit) exchange, down 5.61% from the previous day. [ 1 , 5 ]
Why it matters
Business outlets say the feature turns a wallet app used for cards and IDs into a channel for sending money abroad, and users will not need a separate crypto app or have to manage private keys. Samsung said more markets could follow depending on regulatory changes. Samsung executive Chae Won-cheol said a launch in South Korea depends first on the passage of the Digital Asset Basic Act.
Key facts
- Samsung Electronics' US unit announced on October 7 (local time) that Samsung Wallet will gain a stablecoin feature supporting USDC. [ 2 , 6 ]
- The service is due to start in the US in the last week of October and will be available on 82 million Galaxy devices there. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Users can send USDC within seconds and without transfer fees to compatible crypto wallets or to bank accounts in more than 60 countries, according to Yonhap. [ 2 ]
- Bastion and Coinbase Prime will hold all USDC in Samsung Wallet and support its security, and partners including Solana and Sui will provide infrastructure and blockchain network support. [ 2 ]
- Chosun Ilbo and Kyunghyang Games reported that Samsung selected Sui as its blockchain infrastructure partner for stablecoin support. [ 1 , 5 ]
- Samsung is considering adding online stablecoin payments and payments made by tapping Galaxy devices on store terminals. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Chae Won-cheol said that before the service can launch in South Korea, the Digital Asset Basic Act must pass. [ 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Samsung Wallet will support the dollar stablecoin USDC. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- The service starts in the US at the end of October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The service will be available on 82 million Galaxy devices in the US. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Users will not need to install a separate crypto app or manage private keys. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- Recipients can be in more than 60 countries. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Sui is a blockchain partner for the service. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Coinbase is taking part in the service. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Samsung may add online stablecoin payments in the future. [ 2 , 3 ]
- In a Visa survey covering 20 markets, 41% of US remittance users said they were willing to use stablecoins for sending money abroad. [ 1 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- The launch schedule and the regions covered. Kyunghyang Games wrote that the specific launch schedule and supported regions had not been disclosed, while Yonhap, Seoul Economic Daily and Korea Economic Daily reported a US start in the last week of October.
- Whether transfers are completely free. Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily reported no transfer fees, while Chosun Ilbo wrote that transfers would be free or carry near-zero fees.
- Sui's role compared with other partners. Chosun Ilbo and Kyunghyang Games described Sui as the blockchain infrastructure partner Samsung selected, while Yonhap listed Solana and Sui among several partners.
- When the service could come to South Korea and other markets. Chae Won-cheol tied a South Korean launch to the passage of the Digital Asset Basic Act, and Samsung said other markets depend on regulatory changes. No dates were given.
- Sui's figure of more than $1 trillion in stablecoin transfers since August 2025. Only Kyunghyang Games reported this figure, which it attributed to the company.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- October 8: Chosun Ilbo reports that Samsung has selected Sui as the blockchain partner for USDC in Samsung Wallet. [ 1 ]
- October 8: Yonhap reports the US unit's October 7 announcement and the start in the last week of October. [ 2 ]
- October 8: Seoul Economic Daily reports Chae Won-cheol's remarks at Token 2049 in Singapore. [ 3 ]
- October 9: Kyunghyang Games reports on the Sui-based USDC support. [ 5 ]
- October 9: Korea Economic Daily reports that Coinbase said on October 8 that it is taking part in the service. [ 6 ]