Base Partners With SMBC Nikko on Japan Institutional DeFi Gateway

base announced on Oct. 7, 2026 that it is partnering with SMBC Nikko to build an institutional DeFi Gateway for Japan, extending the Ethereum Layer-2 network's push into regulated finance in Asia.

SMBC Nikko is the securities arm of Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, one of the country's largest banking groups. The initiative is framed as a gateway aimed at institutional use of decentralized finance in the Japanese market. Neither Base nor SMBC Nikko disclosed terms, a launch timeline, or the specific protocols and products the gateway would support.

The announcement builds on a run of institutional- and payments-focused developments for Base. In late September, Base lead Jesse Pollak highlighted that Citi institutions can accept stablecoins on the network, and on Sept. 30 the network activated its Cobalt upgrade on mainnet, adding Validity Transactions and B20 enhancements. Base also added 26 tokenized stocks for onchain trading on Oct. 5.

What Base Is

Base is an Ethereum Layer-2 network incubated by Coinbase, built on the OP Stack and led by Jesse Pollak. It settles to Ethereum and has no native token; transactions are paid in ETH.

What to Watch

The partnership marks another tie-up between a major Japanese financial institution and a public blockchain network. Details on how the gateway will be structured, what regulatory approvals it requires, and when it becomes available have not been released. Base's messaging positions institutions as a growing segment of its activity, alongside its consumer-focused apps.