SMBC Nikko, Partners Expect DeFi Gateway Development by Mid-2027

SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. and Nethermind are working with Uniswap Labs, Base and Nyx Foundation to develop DeFi Gateway, a project intended to give Japanese investors access to decentralized finance through new liquidity infrastructure.

The five participants signed a memorandum of understanding on Oct. 2, 2026. The project aims to develop a liquidity-provision protocol and custom pools using Uniswap v4 hooks, which let developers add custom logic to pools.

The work is organized around three areas: AI-powered “agentic vaults” and interfaces; a pool framework designed to support anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and investor-protection mechanisms; and asset-deployment strategies involving stablecoins and real-world assets.

Development is expected to be completed by mid-2027. The participants plan to share progress with government and regulatory authorities, including Japan’s Financial Services Agency. No public launch date has been announced, and the project has not been presented as an approved or currently available service.

SMBC Nikko and Nethermind previously announced a concept for bringing Japanese investors to on-chain finance on March 6, 2026.