Samsung Wallet introduced USDC accounts for eligible U.S. Galaxy users, bringing stablecoin transfers into the same app used for credit cards and boarding passes, according to Decrypt’s November 5, 2026 report.
The rollout lets users buy, hold, send and receive Circle’s dollar-pegged USDC on Solana without installing a separate crypto app or managing private keys. The announcement put the potential reach at about 82 million compatible Galaxy devices in the U.S. That figure describes device compatibility, not the number of people using the service.
How the account works
The product combines Samsung Wallet’s interface with infrastructure from Bastion, a licensed stablecoin custodian and infrastructure provider. Coinbase safeguards the USDC as Bastion’s sub-custodian through Coinbase Prime Vault.
That arrangement matters for anyone comparing it with a self-managed crypto wallet: users do not manage private keys themselves, and the service relies on the named custody providers. Samsung’s disclosures also emphasize that the account is a crypto wallet, not a bank account.
Samsung had announced the feature on October 7, after teasing support for USDC over the summer. The November 5 report described the accounts as live for eligible users, rather than merely planned.
Eligibility and transfer routes
The service requires Android 13 or later. It is available to U.S. residents aged 18 or older, excluding New York residents.
Supported routes include:
- USDC transfers to other Samsung Wallet users in the U.S. and compatible external crypto wallets. Samsung charges no transfer fee for these routes, although other providers may impose charges.
- Transfers to qualifying bank accounts in more than 60 countries, where recipients may receive local currency. Fees vary by destination.
Funding and withdrawing are not uniformly free. Credit-card top-ups, including those made through Samsung Pay, carry a 4% fee. Withdrawals to a bank account or debit card also incur a fee.
What remains planned
Samsung positioned the integration as a way to make stablecoins accessible without requiring users to navigate conventional crypto tools. Solana Foundation president Lily Liu similarly framed mainstream distribution as a missing piece for stablecoins.
Those ambitions are separate from the features reported as live. Samsung said it expected to explore online and in-store stablecoin payments and expansion into additional markets, subject to local regulation; the report did not establish those plans as available services.
Original reporting: Decrypt, published November 5, 2026, at 21:01:02 UTC+8.