Samsung is adding USDC-based cross-border transfers to Samsung Wallet, with the feature scheduled to go live in the last week of October for eligible users in the United States. Those users will be able to send funds abroad either to compatible crypto wallets or to qualifying bank accounts in more than 60 countries, where recipients will receive local currency.
The rollout will be available on about 82 million Galaxy devices in the U.S. Solana said in a Wednesday partnership announcement that the new service will work inside Samsung Wallet, the same app already used for bank cards, identification documents and boarding passes.
"Sending money overseas should be as easy as using the wallet already installed on your phone," said Woncheol Chai, head of digital wallet business at Samsung Electronics. "By putting USDC transfers into Samsung Wallet, eligible Galaxy users can get started without downloading another app or managing their own private keys."
Solana, Sui, Coinbase and Bastion each handle part of the stack
Solana and Sui will provide the underlying blockchain networks for the service. Coinbase will custody the stablecoin through Coinbase Prime Vault, while Bastion will provide regulated stablecoin infrastructure.
Through that integration, users will be able to send Circle’s USDC. The report described USDC as the world’s second-largest dollar-pegged token and said institutions have favored it because of stronger regulatory backing. It also cited the IMF’s annual report, which said stablecoin use in cross-border transactions has expanded quickly this year because of lower transaction costs.
Users can send to wallets or bank accounts in more than 60 countries
Galaxy users will be able to transfer USDC to compatible crypto wallets overseas or send funds directly to qualifying bank accounts in more than 60 countries. Recipients on the bank side will receive local currency. Samsung said it will not charge fees for USDC transfers sent to compatible external wallets, although the receiving wallet or exchange may charge separately.
To fund transfers, customers will use built-in fiat on- and off-ramps. Samsung also said users must authenticate with biometrics on a registered Galaxy device before funds can be sent.
Samsung pushes stablecoins into a preinstalled consumer wallet
The launch turns Samsung’s broader stablecoin plans into a consumer product. The report said Samsung stated in August that it planned to add stablecoin savings and payment functions to hundreds of millions of Galaxy phones. Analysts told CoinDesk at the time that the move could make Samsung a major distribution channel for digital dollars. The U.S. release is the company’s first large-scale deployment.
The article said the integration gives Samsung a token distribution route that crypto companies have historically struggled to build on their own. By embedding the technology into a familiar payments app already installed on tens of millions of phones, the setup shifts stablecoins closer to a straightforward remittance product rather than a trading tool. A recipient can receive fiat directly in a bank account without even opening a crypto wallet.
People in the industry see that framework as one route for stablecoins to move into mainstream use in cross-border payments.
"Stablecoins could make moving money around the world faster and simpler, and we want Galaxy users to get that benefit without dealing with the complexity of traditional crypto tools," said Lily Liu, president of the Solana Foundation.
Liu said stablecoins have already shown that blockchain can move money globally in a fast and low-cost way. She added that stablecoins had lacked a path into mainstream adoption, and that Samsung’s partnership changes that.
Borderless made a similar point in a statement to CoinDesk.
"Mass adoption was never going to come from asking everyone to download a crypto app. It comes from the phone already in your pocket. I expect Apple and Google will follow; when that happens, sending money across borders will be as easy as sending a text," Borderless.xyz CEO Kevin Lehtiniitty said on LinkedIn.
Expansion outside the U.S. has not been detailed
Samsung has not said when the feature will be extended beyond the U.S. According to the report, future availability will depend on local regulation. The company also said it may later enable stablecoin-based online payments and tap-to-pay transactions on eligible Galaxy phones.
