MEV and the value layer
Understanding maximal extractable value and why it matters.
MEV—maximal extractable value—is the profit that can be extracted from reordering, inserting, or censoring transactions. It’s one of the most important concepts in crypto today.
Why it matters
Every transaction you submit enters a public waiting room. Sophisticated actors can see your trades before they execute and profit from that information.
This creates problems:
- Worse execution prices for users
- Network congestion from bots
- Centralization pressure on validators
The opportunity
But MEV isn’t just a problem—it’s a window into how value actually flows through decentralized systems.
Understanding MEV means understanding:
- How markets really work
- Where power concentrates
- What decentralization actually costs
What comes next
The solution isn’t to eliminate MEV. It’s to redirect it—to design systems where the value flows to the right places.
This is the work of building the value layer.