Briefing
The core problem of Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) in public blockchains stems from the fundamental transparency of the mempool, where transaction data is visible before block finalization, enabling predatory front-running and sandwich attacks. This research proposes a foundational architectural shift through a new consensus primitive, Proof-of-Encryption (PoE), which is secured by Blockchain Integrated Threshold Encryption (BITE). This mechanism ensures that all transaction data remains cryptographically sealed throughout the block production and consensus process, only being decrypted after the block has been finalized and its ordering is immutable. The most important implication is the creation of a provably fair execution environment, which unlocks entirely new categories of on-chain applications, such as private institutional DeFi and autonomous AI agents, by eliminating the economic vulnerability of transaction pre-disclosure.
Context
The established theoretical limitation in public blockchain architecture is the inherent trade-off between transparency and fairness. The prevailing model ∞ where transactions are broadcast to a public mempool and block producers are incentivized to maximize profit by manipulating ordering ∞ creates the “MEV problem.” This is a direct consequence of the transparency axiom, which dictates that transaction intent is public before it is confirmed. This foundational challenge has forced sophisticated financial activity and institutional capital to remain off-chain, as the current architecture cannot guarantee a level playing field, fundamentally limiting the scope and economic ceiling of decentralized finance.
Analysis
The paper’s core mechanism introduces Proof-of-Encryption (PoE) as a new consensus primitive, which operates via Blockchain Integrated Threshold Encryption (BITE). Conceptually, the system shifts the moment of transaction disclosure from pre-consensus to post-finality. A user encrypts their transaction using a shared public key before broadcasting it to the network. Validators then process and agree upon a block of these encrypted transactions, effectively ordering opaque data.
The BITE protocol, a form of threshold cryptography, requires a supermajority of the validator committee to collectively contribute their private key shares to decrypt the block. Since the decryption only succeeds after the block is finalized and appended to the chain, the contents of the transactions are never visible to any party, including the block proposer, at the moment of ordering. This cryptographic decoupling of ordering from content visibility is the foundational breakthrough, making front-running impossible at the protocol level.
Parameters
- Threshold Decryption Requirement ∞ 2t + 1 out of 3t + 1 validator nodes needed for successful transaction decryption. This parameter ensures a supermajority consensus is required for the cryptographic reveal, maintaining security against a minority of malicious or colluding nodes.
- MEV Reduction ∞ 100% elimination of front-running and sandwich attacks at the consensus layer. This is the primary metric of the protocol’s success, achieved by removing the transparency window that enables these exploits.
Outlook
This research establishes a new paradigm for blockchain security by using advanced cryptography to enforce mechanism design principles, moving beyond economic incentives alone. The immediate next step is the formal security analysis of BITE’s performance under various adversarial network conditions, particularly in asynchronous environments. In the next three to five years, this technology is positioned to unlock the full potential of on-chain finance by providing the privacy layer necessary for institutional participation and complex financial strategies. Furthermore, it opens new avenues for research into “encrypted smart contracts” and “private-by-default” decentralized autonomous organizations, where business logic and state transitions can be verifiably executed without revealing underlying data.
