Kaia MEV Auction Launch & Bid Fee Reimbursement Program

Summary

Kaia MEV Auction went live on the Kaia mainnet on December 18, 2025. Kaia MEV Auction is an auction system designed for participants who search for and execute MEV opportunities (“Searchers”) such as backrun slots within a block via sealed bids. It is provided together with the Searcher SDK guide and a real-time dashboard (MEV Auction Explorer).

To accelerate onboarding at launch, we will operate a Bid Fee Reimbursement Program (90% reimbursement of the winning bid fee) for ten (10) weeks from the launch date. We are also preparing follow-up events such as Zero-slippage, and detailed terms will be announced separately once finalized.

Launch Information

• Launch date: 2025–12–18
• Scope
  – Searcher SDK Guide: https://docs.kaia.io/build/tutorials/mev-auction-sdk-guide/
  – MEV Auction Explorer (real-time dashboard): Auction results and statistics will be publicly available.

What is Kaia MEV Auction?

MEV Auction turns MEV opportunities inside blocks into an explicit competition (auction), enabling a more transparent allocation of opportunities and making MEV flows observable and manageable at the network and ecosystem level.

In the slot-based design defined in KIP-249, the auction unit is the backrun execution slot placed immediately after a transaction where an MEV opportunity arises, and Searchers compete for that slot via sealed bids. The Auctioneer selects the winner and forwards it to the Consensus Node (CN), and the CN executes the winning BidTx through AuctionEntryPoint.

For more details, please refer to KIP-249 Slot-Based Auction: https://kips.kaia.io/KIPs/kip-249

How to Use (Links)

• MEV Auction SDK Guide: Deposit, sealed bidding, winning bid handling, and execution
  https://docs.kaia.io/build/tutorials/mev-auction-sdk-guide/
• KIP-249: https://kips.kaia.io/KIPs/kip-249
• MEV Explorer (Kairos): https://mev-kairos.kaia.io/
• MEV Explorer (Mainnet): https://mev.kaia.io/

Bid Fee Reimbursement Program (Onboarding Support Program)

Purpose: To help Searchers participate reliably without excessive upfront costs during the initial launch phase and to quickly form healthy market competition, we will operate the bid fee reimbursement program.

• Reimbursement rate: 90% of the winning bid fee
• Program period: Ten (10) weeks from launch
  – Start: 2025–12–18
  – End: 2026–02–25
• Eligibility
  – Applies only to valid winning bids (Winning BidTx) via the MEV Auction
  – May be excluded if policy violations are confirmed (e.g., behaviors that undermine network stability)
• Payment
  – Payout method: Automatically reimbursed per bid execution (real-time)
  – Recipient address: Paid to the Searcher address used for bidding

Upcoming Event: Zero-Slippage (Coming Soon)

Separate from the bid fee reimbursement program, we are preparing additional launch activation events (e.g., Zero-slippage). Details (timeline, eligible targets, etc.) will be announced separately once finalized.

Disclaimer

This program is a time-limited incentive intended to support onboarding, and details may change depending on operational announcements. Participation in Kaia MEV Auction is at the participant’s own responsibility, and execution/auction outcomes may vary depending on system and network conditions.

FAQ

Q1. What is Kaia MEV Auction?
A. It auctions MEV opportunities inside blocks, improving transparency and publishing results/metrics.

Q2. Who are “Searchers”?
A. Participants who find and execute MEV opportunities.

Q3. What is a “backrun slot”?
A. A slot executed right after a target transaction. Searchers bid for this slot.

Q4. How do sealed bids work?
A. Searchers submit bids privately to the Auctioneer, and execution follows the winning outcome (see the SDK guide).

Q5. Who can participate? Any restrictions?
A. Anyone can participate as a Searcher. Policy violations (e.g., harming network stability) may lead to restrictions.

Q6. How do I get started?
A. Follow the SDK flow: Deposit → Sealed bid → Win handling → Execution.
https://docs.kaia.io/build/tutorials/mev-auction-sdk-guide/

Q7. What does MEV Auction Explorer show?
A. Auction results and statistics (bids/wins and related metrics).

Q8. What is the Bid Fee Reimbursement program?
A. A launch support program reimbursing 90% of the winning bid fee for ten weeks.

Q9. What is eligible for reimbursement?
A. Only valid winning bids (Winning BidTx) executed via the MEV Auction.

Q10. When and where is it paid?
A. Paid per bid execution, in real time, to the Searcher address used for bidding.

Q11. When can reimbursement be excluded?
A. If policy violations are confirmed, including actions that undermine network stability.

Q12. What is Zero-slippage?
A. A separate upcoming launch activation event. Details will be announced once finalized.