Miner Extractable Value (MEV) refers to the potential profit that miners can extract from the order of transactions within a blockchain. MEV arises due to the ability of miners to choose and prioritize transactions in a block, which can be exploited for personal gain. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications where complex financial interactions occur on-chain. MEV occurs when miners manipulate transaction ordering or include their own transactions strategically to maximize profits. They may front-run trades by placing their own orders ahead of others, exploit arbitrage opportunities, or engage in other types of transaction manipulation. >Sources: the [Miner Extractable Value Wiki](https://www.mev.wiki/), which is maintained & sponsored by [Automata Network](https://ata.network), also references [[Frontrunning, Transaction Reordering, and Consensus Instability in Decentralized Exchanges.pdf]].