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MEV arbitrageurs on Ethereum increasingly centralized — Research

2025-07-24 21:59:33

Main Idea

MEV arbitrage on Ethereum is becoming increasingly centralized, with a few entities dominating the process, raising concerns about network decentralization.

Key Points

1. Maximal-extractable value (MEV) arbitrage on Ethereum is becoming more centralized, with three builders (beaverbuild, Titan, and rsync) controlling CEX-DEX searchers.

2. Arbitrageurs exploit price discrepancies between centralized (CEX) and decentralized (DEX) exchanges, often front-running smaller users.

3. Vertical integration in MEV arbitrage raises concerns about Ethereum's decentralization and increases vulnerability to centralization through exclusive agreements.

4. Ethereum's Proposer-Builder Separation (PBS) was designed to promote censorship resistance, but critics argue it contributes to MEV centralization.

5. Vitalik Buterin has suggested mitigating MEV by building alternative infrastructure and starving arbitrageurs to reduce their impact.

Description

Arbitrageurs who exploit price discrepancies between centralized and decentralized crypto exchanges are harming network decentralization, new research finds.

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