New Retail Wave Incoming?
The distribution math is the headline risk‑on signal. Samsung Pay, within Samsung Wallet, has surpassed 150 million global active users by mid‑2025, a base that dwarfs most crypto apps and rivals fintechs.
Even if only a slice of those users is addressable in the near term due to geography and compliance, the funnel from “curious” to “first purchase” just got shorter on hundreds of millions of devices.
If crypto’s next leg higher hinges on bringing new money from everyday consumers, getting the buy button into the default wallet matters.
Samsung Pay already stores cards and passes KYC verification to Coinbase, allowing users to fund purchases using methods they use daily.
Coinbase’s membership framework and loss‑recovery assurances address mainstream concerns about hacks and support, issues typically highlighted by first‑time users.
Besides, by living inside the same wallet used at checkout, crypto accrues “top‑of‑mind” status every time a user pays for coffee.
Together, these details can turn sporadic speculation into repeat behavior, the lifeblood of retail inflows.
Potential for South Korean Retail Adoption
The global angle is where this becomes a strategic beachhead rather than a US‑only promo. South Korea is home turf for Samsung and one of the most active crypto trading cultures, with a 80 % adoption rate of Samsung Pay.=
Chainalysis data shows Korea’s market skews toward “professional size” transactions, ranging from $10,000 to $1 million.
The country is also experiencing a structural surge in stablecoin usage, especially USDT, with roughly $59 billion in KRW purchases of stablecoins in the 12 months to June 2025.
Despite presenting itself as a sophisticated, high‑velocity market, South Korean retail is not yet its strong suit.
Embedding Coinbase within Samsung Wallet is a plausible on‑ramp for that audience when rolled out locally, provided it aligns with Korean rules and exchange integrations.
Policy still determines the pace. In Korea, legislators and the central bank continue to spar over stablecoin models and who’s allowed to issue or distribute them, precisely because stablecoins have become a preferred rail for traders and cross‑venue rotations.
Until there’s clarity across issuance, distribution, and secondary‑market trading, any wallet‑native crypto purchase flow will need careful compliance threading.
As a result, this could be a positive aspect of the Coinbase partnership with Samsung, providing compliant and straightforward on‑ramps for crypto.
Impact on Crypto Market
Back in the US, the near‑term signal won’t be an instant spike in prices but in the micro‑metrics that precede durable retail cycles.
Higher conversion rates from app opens to funded accounts, likely translated as more first‑time purchases under $200, and steadier dollar‑cost‑averaging behavior during drawdowns.
Coinbase and Samsung didn’t disclose targets, but the structure of premium membership benefits, along with native payment rails, mirrors what drew mainstream consumers into neobanks and “Buy Now, Pay Later” apps.
If the rollout scales globally as planned, the crypto on‑ramp will transition from a niche app to a default wallet tile in markets that already outperform their weight in trading volume.
Consequently, the narrative about “the next wave of retail” could eventually turn into deposits and order flow.