Samsung plans to turn 800 million Galaxy phones into stablecoin wallets, potentially becoming the world's largest stablecoin distribution gateway

Analysts say that Samsung is accelerating its layout of digital asset infrastructure, planning to provide native stablecoin functionality to approximately 800 million Galaxy smartphones through Samsung Wallet, which is expected to become an important distribution channel for stablecoins like USDC. It is reported that Samsung announced at the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event that it will integrate stablecoin-related features into future devices, including savings and payment accounts linked to fiat currencies. Currently, Samsung Wallet covers 61 countries, with nearly 19 million users in South Korea.

Joseph Goh, head of the Asia-Pacific region for crypto investment bank Areta, stated that the core bottleneck for the widespread adoption of stablecoins is not liquidity, but user accessibility. "Distribution channels are the scarce asset, and Samsung has a large number of user entry points." He believes this move could propel Samsung to become a major distributor of stablecoins like USDC. This is not Samsung's first foray into the crypto space. The company launched a digital asset wallet through the Knox security module back in 2019, supporting users in storing assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and connecting to Ledger hardware wallets. Additionally, Samsung is strengthening its digital asset infrastructure layout. Samsung SDS CEO Lee Joon-hee previously stated that the company’s investment in Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest crypto exchange Upbit, is an important strategic layout for entering the digital asset infrastructure field, including stablecoins and AI payments. In May of this year, Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Card agreed to acquire approximately 4% of Dunamu, Upbit's parent company, for about $408 million. Analysts believe that Samsung Wallet is responsible for providing user distribution entry points, while infrastructure layouts like Dunamu are responsible for underlying transactions and asset services, suggesting that Samsung may be building a complete ecosystem covering stablecoins, payments, and digital asset services.