Uniswap News Today: ZK Tech Gets $9M Boost to Revolutionize Trustless DeFi Incentives

The Uniswap Foundation has awarded Brevis a grant of up to $9 million to develop a trustless gas rebate program for decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregators integrating Uniswap v4 "hooked pools", according to the Revolutionary Uniswap Foundation Grant. This initiative, powered by Brevis's zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, aims to reduce transaction costs, accelerate the adoption of Uniswap v4's advanced features, and reinforce the decentralized ethos of DeFi, as noted in the Brevis grant announcement. The program eliminates centralized tracking mechanisms, relying instead on cryptographic proofs to verify rebate calculations off-chain, ensuring transparency and security, per ChainCatcher coverage.

Uniswap v4, launched in January 2025, introduced customizable "hooked pools" that allow developers to embed dynamic features such as on-chain limit orders, auto-compounding liquidity, and MEV-resistant designs, according to a LookonChain report. These innovations, while powerful, complicate integration for DEX aggregators like 1inch and 0x, which must now adapt to heterogeneous pool behaviors. The grant addresses this challenge by providing economic incentives: routers that direct traffic through v4 hooked pools will receive gas rebates, calculated and verified using Brevis's ZK Data Coprocessor and Pico zkVM, a mechanism detailed in the Brevis grant announcement.

Brevis's approach leverages off-chain computation to determine rebate eligibility, generating cryptographic proofs that are later verified on-chain via smart contracts, as ChainCatcher explains. This method avoids the high costs and scalability issues of on-chain processing while maintaining trustless verification. Routers can use these rebates to offset operational expenses, pass savings to users, or build sustainable treasuries, creating a feedback loop that encourages broader adoption of v4's features, the Brevis announcement adds.

The collaboration underscores a broader strategic goal: to make DeFi more accessible and efficient. By reducing gas fees for users and streamlining aggregator integration, the program enhances the user experience while fostering innovation, the Revolutionary Uniswap Foundation Grant coverage observes. For developers, the economic incentives tied to v4's hooks accelerate experimentation with advanced AMM (Automated Market Maker) functionalities, potentially unlocking new use cases in areas like algorithmic trading and yield optimization, the LookonChain report notes.

Uniswap Foundation's investment also aligns with industry trends prioritizing ZK technology for scalability and privacy. Brevis's role in this ecosystem highlights the growing importance of off-chain computation in addressing blockchain's throughput limitations without compromising security, a point highlighted by ChainCatcher. The trustless nature of the rebate system ensures that no single entity controls the verification process, preserving DeFi's core principles of decentralization, as reported in the Revolutionary Uniswap Foundation Grant.

Looking ahead, the success of this program could set a precedent for future DeFi initiatives. By demonstrating how ZK proofs can scale economic incentives while maintaining transparency, the partnership between Uniswap and Brevis may inspire similar models in other blockchain networks, the LookonChain report suggests. For now, the focus remains on expanding v4's adoption: deeper liquidity from aggregated pools could lead to tighter spreads and lower slippage for traders, while developers gain a robust framework for building next-generation financial tools, the Brevis announcement concludes.