U.S. Galaxy Users Gain Cross-Border Stablecoin Access
Samsung Electronics will enable USDC transfers on Solana through Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay starting the last week of October, bringing stablecoin functionality to 82 million U.S. Galaxy devices. The feature includes built-in fiat conversion, allowing users to send Circle’s USDC across borders without navigating traditional crypto interfaces.
Solana Foundation announced the partnership on October 8, 2026. Solana’s infrastructure will operate behind the scenes, with on- and off-ramps built directly into Samsung’s payment products. “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, head of the digital wallet team at Samsung Electronics mobile business.
Samsung first revealed stablecoin support for Galaxy Wallet at the Galaxy Unpacked event in London in July 2026, displaying a mockup holding USDC but withholding details on launch timing, the issuer, or the blockchain. The Solana Foundation announcement clarified those specifics.
Lily Liu, president of Solana Foundation, said the move brings institutional legitimacy to stablecoin adoption. “Samsung’s decision to work with Solana puts digital dollars into everyday life through one of the world’s most trusted technology brands,” she said.
Solana Mobile’s Path to Mainstream
The Samsung partnership reflects years of infrastructure work on Solana Mobile. The arm released the Saga phone in 2023 and the Seeker last year. Anatoly Yakovenko, Solana co-founder, has championed phone-based crypto access despite skepticism. Kyle Samani, co-founder of Multicoin Capital, initially dismissed Yakovenko’s mobile initiatives. “99% of people thought that [Yakovenko]’s initiatives around phones were dumb. I also thought the same thing for a while,” Samani said. Yakovenko responded that founder-led initiatives carry inherent risk. “99/100 founder led initiatives are dumb. Doing nothing is also dumb. That’s basically why startups are hard,” he said.
Samsung has progressively expanded crypto support on Galaxy devices since launching a blockchain wallet in 2019. Last October, the company integrated Coinbase into Samsung Wallet, reaching 75 million U.S. users. The company has also added Stellar integration and hardware wallet connections.
Solana Stablecoin Momentum
Stablecoin adoption on Solana has accelerated. Supply is up nearly 20% year over year, and the network processed more than $5.25 trillion in stablecoin volume during 2026. PayPal and Western Union are already using Solana for stablecoin transfers. Visa has deployed USDC on Solana for payment settlement.
Additional markets beyond the U.S. will follow the October launch, subject to local regulatory requirements, though Solana Foundation did not specify which regions or timelines.
