SMBC Nikko Partners to Develop DeFi Gateway for Japanese Investors

Japanese securities company SMBC Nikko has partnered with four parties to develop a decentralized finance (DeFi) gateway for its investors. The gateway will enable Japanese investors to access DeFi services, which are typically not available to them due to regulatory hurdles. The partnership, which includes Nethermind, Uniswap Labs, Base, and Nyx Foundation, aims to complete the project by mid-2027.

The DeFi gateway will utilize the hooks feature on Uniswap v4, which allows developers to add custom logic into liquidity pools. This approach embeds anti-money laundering controls, anti-terrorism financing, and investor protection directly at the pool level, differing from compliance checks typically performed outside the protocol or on the user interface.

SMBC Nikko and Nethermind are co-leading the project, with SMBC Nikko handling regulatory dialogue and compliance architecture, and Nethermind working on technical design, smart contract security, and hooks strategy. The gateway will also feature verifiable AI-based vaults to manage positions within defined control limits.