Aptos Launches Encrypted Mempool to Shield Traders From MEV Exploits

Layer-1 blockchain Aptos has rolled out an optional Encrypted Mempool feature on its mainnet to protect users from maximal extractable value (MEV) exploits like frontrunning and sandwich attacks. The system allows compatible wallets to encrypt transaction contents on the user's device, hiding asset and amount details while leaving the sender's address and gas fee visible to the network. Validators agree on the order of the encrypted transactions and collectively decrypt them only after the ordering is finalized, ensuring no single validator can read pending orders independently. The added protection requires users to pay a minimum gas price at twice the network’s base minimum and adds approximately 20 milliseconds per block to consensus times based on 50-node tests. Aptos relies on its existing validator set for both transaction ordering and decryption, establishing a structural distinction from Ethereum's reliance on trusted builders or separate decryption committees. “When you send a transaction on any major chain today, anyone watching the network can see the details before it executes, the function you’re calling, the assets and amounts involved, and the contracts you’re interacting with. Bots use that visibility to trade against you or copy your strategy.” — Aptos