Aptos validators are voting on AIP-144, a proposal to encrypt transactions during block construction and decrypt them only after block order is final. If it passes, Aptos Labs says Aptos would become the first layer-1 blockchain with MEV protection embedded at consensus rather than handled through external tooling.
The proposal opened for discussion on April 8, 2026, and Aptos Labs publicly announced it on May 12. Under AIP-144, users submit encrypted payloads to the mempool. The block leader sequences ciphertexts while, in the words of the AIP-144 proposal, "completely blind to their payloads."
Decryption happens after consensus through a threshold stake-weighted validator vote. The design means no single validator holds the decryption key alone, and the proposal says it adds no new trust assumptions beyond the existing network.
Aptos Labs says the online phase adds fewer than 20 milliseconds per batch and claims users will see "no impact to latency."
The governance vote remained open as of late June 2026. No closing date or running tally has been published.
Aptos Labs frames the design as different from existing MEV defenses. On Ethereum, MEV mitigation through Flashbots and private mempools operates outside consensus. On Solana, Jito's tip auction system also sits at the validator or middleware layer. Aptos Labs positions AIP-144 as distinct because the transaction-intent shield would be built into ordering itself. No independent technical audit of that competitive claim has been published.
The feature is opt-in. Users activate encrypted submission through a single setting in compatible wallets and apps, according to BanklessTimes.
Decibel, an on-chain order book and perpetuals exchange on Aptos, is cited by Aptos Labs as an early use case. Orders could move through the network with confidentiality until recorded in a block, while remaining transparent after execution.
Activation depends on the governance outcome. No timeline beyond the mid-2026 vote window has been stated.