SMBC Nikko Securities joined Uniswap and others to develop a compliant DeFi gateway

On October 2, SMBC Nikko Securities announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform "DeFi Gateway" aimed at Japanese investors. Participants include blockchain development company Nethermind, Uniswap Labs, the general incorporated association Nyx Foundation, and Coinbase Technologies, which operates the Ethereum Layer 2 network Base. The project will develop a liquidity provision protocol and proprietary liquidity pool, complying with Japanese laws and regulations, with plans to complete development by mid-2027.

The collaboration focuses on three main developments: first, creating a "proxy vault" with verifiable and reproducible AI and an intuitive user interface; second, utilizing Uniswap v4's Hooks feature to build a compliant liquidity pool public framework with built-in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) and investor protection mechanisms; third, developing asset management strategies covering digital assets such as stablecoins and real-world assets (RWA).

The project is jointly led by SMBC Nikko Securities and Nethermind. SMBC Nikko Securities leads communication with regulatory agencies and provides compliance, risk modeling, and portfolio management expertise; Nethermind is responsible for technical design and development, including AI strategy and integration, smart contract security, as well as automated market making and Uniswap v4 Hooks strategies.