MEV (Miner Extractable Value) protection refers to safeguards put in place within decentralized exchange (DEX) protocols to prevent miners or validators from manipulating transactions for their own benefit.

MEV occurs when miners or validators rearrange, delay, or even front-run transactions in a block to extract additional profit, often at the expense of regular users.

For example, a miner might see a large trade coming and insert their own transaction ahead of it to profit from the price movement that follows—this is called “front-running.”

MEV protection aims to stop such practices by using strategies like encrypted transactions, private relays, or other advanced cryptographic techniques to ensure that trades are processed fairly and securely.

With MEV protection in place, users can trade confidently, knowing that their transactions will be executed in the correct order and without interference from those who control the blockchain’s block production. This helps maintain fairness and transparency in an exchange.