$SUI Compared with 40.6 million TPS, what matters more to me now is whether Samsung Wallet can become an entry point people actually use.
In my previous article, I examined how throughput tests are measured: transactions happen within a channel and are settled on the mainnet later, so they can’t be treated as the base layer’s capacity to process transactions individually. Today, there’s another development: on October 8, Sui announced a partnership to bring USDC to Samsung Wallet. Performance has been demonstrated; now the question is whether people will keep using it for payments.
First, let’s get the timeline straight. Samsung’s U.S. website said in its October 7 announcement that it plans to make stablecoin wallet features available to eligible Galaxy users in the U.S. in the last week of October. The 82 million figure refers to the number of compatible devices—not 82 million people who have already opened an account, deposited funds, or made a transfer. Valuing this today as “82 million new on-chain users” skips several steps, in my view.
This entry point is definitely more accessible than asking ordinary users to download a separate wallet and manage their own private keys. Samsung Wallet handles the user-facing experience, Bastion provides the stablecoin custody and payments framework, and Coinbase Prime Vault is involved in asset custody. Greater convenience could lower the barrier to first-time use, but whether people will use it repeatedly depends on the actual transfer experience, fees, and settlement times. Device coverage figures don’t answer those questions.
For SUI holders, the more important question is how demand will flow through. Sui’s announcement explicitly says that USDC will be supported initially, while the SUI token is not yet supported in Samsung Wallet. USDC transfers on Sui are gas-free, so users don’t need to hold SUI first. That can improve the user experience, but it also means the claim that “using the Sui network means users have to buy SUI” doesn’t hold. Whether increased network usage can create sustained token demand requires separate evidence; a partnership headline is no substitute.
There are two other details worth noting. Samsung lists both Solana and Sui among its network partners, so this shouldn’t be described as a Sui-exclusive service. And “free” has limits: Sui is referring to network gas fees, while Samsung Wallet transfers and cross-border bank remittances have different fee structures. Bank routes and third-party charges should be checked against the actual terms; you can’t simply call it “free global remittances.”
My view is that this partnership is more worth following than another test-peak record, but it’s still at the planned-launch stage. Next, I’ll be watching to see whether the feature launches on schedule, how many transfers actually take place, whether users stick around, and how network usage translates into demand for SUI. A bigger entry point is a start; turning it into real usage is the next step. For informational purposes only.
Sources: Samsung U.S. website announcement dated 10/7; Sui website partnership announcement dated 10/8.
In my previous article, I examined how throughput tests are measured: transactions happen within a channel and are settled on the mainnet later, so they can’t be treated as the base layer’s capacity to process transactions individually. Today, there’s another development: on October 8, Sui announced a partnership to bring USDC to Samsung Wallet. Performance has been demonstrated; now the question is whether people will keep using it for payments.
First, let’s get the timeline straight. Samsung’s U.S. website said in its October 7 announcement that it plans to make stablecoin wallet features available to eligible Galaxy users in the U.S. in the last week of October. The 82 million figure refers to the number of compatible devices—not 82 million people who have already opened an account, deposited funds, or made a transfer. Valuing this today as “82 million new on-chain users” skips several steps, in my view.
This entry point is definitely more accessible than asking ordinary users to download a separate wallet and manage their own private keys. Samsung Wallet handles the user-facing experience, Bastion provides the stablecoin custody and payments framework, and Coinbase Prime Vault is involved in asset custody. Greater convenience could lower the barrier to first-time use, but whether people will use it repeatedly depends on the actual transfer experience, fees, and settlement times. Device coverage figures don’t answer those questions.
For SUI holders, the more important question is how demand will flow through. Sui’s announcement explicitly says that USDC will be supported initially, while the SUI token is not yet supported in Samsung Wallet. USDC transfers on Sui are gas-free, so users don’t need to hold SUI first. That can improve the user experience, but it also means the claim that “using the Sui network means users have to buy SUI” doesn’t hold. Whether increased network usage can create sustained token demand requires separate evidence; a partnership headline is no substitute.
There are two other details worth noting. Samsung lists both Solana and Sui among its network partners, so this shouldn’t be described as a Sui-exclusive service. And “free” has limits: Sui is referring to network gas fees, while Samsung Wallet transfers and cross-border bank remittances have different fee structures. Bank routes and third-party charges should be checked against the actual terms; you can’t simply call it “free global remittances.”
My view is that this partnership is more worth following than another test-peak record, but it’s still at the planned-launch stage. Next, I’ll be watching to see whether the feature launches on schedule, how many transfers actually take place, whether users stick around, and how network usage translates into demand for SUI. A bigger entry point is a start; turning it into real usage is the next step. For informational purposes only.
Sources: Samsung U.S. website announcement dated 10/7; Sui website partnership announcement dated 10/8.