MEV Bot Development: Types, Features and Benefits

Currently, the DeFi world is buzzing with fantastic innovations, and MEV bots are leading this revolution. But what exactly are these enigmatic bots, and how can they benefit you? In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll take a deep dive into MEV bot development, exploring the different types, their key features, and the undeniable advantages they bring to the DeFi landscape.

Whether you’re a seasoned DeFi veteran or just starting your crypto journey, understanding MEV bots is crucial to maximizing your returns and navigating the ever-evolving DeFi ecosystem. 

What is MEV Bot?

MEV or Maximal Extractable Value bots are automated software programs that scour the Ethereum blockchain for profitable opportunities and automatically execute transactions to capitalize on them. They essentially act as middlemen between users and miners/validators, helping both parties extract maximum value from a block.

This value is extracted through strategic transaction ordering based on the fees included by users. Transactions with higher gas fees are prioritized, incentivizing users to compete for faster processing. MEV bots exploit these dynamics to generate profits for their users.

The Evolution of MEV: From Miners to Searchers and Bots

Initially, MEV was synonymous with Miner Extractable Value. In Proof-of-Work blockchains like early Ethereum, only miners had the privilege of creating blocks and extracting MEV. However, the shift to Proof-of-Stake opened the doors for anyone to become a validator and participate in MEV extraction.

MEV Searchers and Bots: Democratizing Profitability

MEV opportunities became more accessible with a broader pool of validators. To capitalize on these opportunities, MEV searchers came into the picture as individuals or entities with the expertise to identify profitable opportunities on the blockchain. However, manually capitalizing on these opportunities was inefficient. Therefore, MEV bots were introduced to automate the process. 

What is a MEV Arbitrage Bot?

An MEV Arbitrage Bot is a specialized type of MEV bot designed to exploit price discrepancies across different blockchain platforms or Decentralized Exchanges. These bots use arbitrage to capture profits from temporary market inefficiencies by buying an asset at a lower cost on one exchange and selling it at a higher cost on another.

Regular MEV bots encompass a broader range of strategies beyond just arbitrage. They might employ tactics like front-running (inserting transactions ahead of others to exploit their information) or back-running (selling an asset just after a large buy order to capitalize on price hikes). Arbitrage bots, on the other hand, are laser-focused on identifying and capitalizing on price differentials.

While both bot types require a solid understanding of blockchain mechanics and gas fees, MEV arbitrage bots might have a slightly steeper technical learning curve. This is because they need to constantly monitor price feeds across various platforms, calculate profitable opportunities based on those discrepancies, and factor in gas costs to ensure the arbitrage maneuver remains viable.

How Do MEV Bots Work?

Now, let us discuss how a MEV bots work in details,

1. Mempool Monitoring

MEV bots constantly scan the mempool, a temporary storage area for pending blockchain transactions. They efficiently analyze a vast number of transactions, extracting crucial details like transaction type (swap, liquidation), offered gas fees, and potential impact on subsequent transactions.

2. Transaction Analysis and Opportunity Identification: 

Powerful algorithms dissect the gathered data to identify lucrative opportunities based on various MEV strategies. Here’s a breakdown of some prominent strategies:

• Arbitrage: Capitalizing on price discrepancies across decentralized exchanges by buying low on one exchange and selling high on another.
• Liquidation: Identifying under-collateralized loans in DeFi protocols and triggering liquidations to capture a portion of the collateral.
• Front-running: Inserting a transaction before a user’s high-value transaction to exploit the price impact caused by the user’s trade.
• Back-running: Placing a transaction after a specific transaction that benefits the bot’s strategy, such as driving prices up before selling its holdings.
• Sandwich attacks: Inserting transactions before and after a large trade to capture the price movements triggered by the large order.

3. Strategic Transaction Execution:

Based on the identified opportunity, the bot calculates the most profitable course of action. It then constructs a new transaction specifically designed to execute the chosen strategy.

4. Gas Price Bidding:

To guarantee inclusion in the next block and outbid regular users, MEV bots strategically bid high gas fees. This incentivizes miners to prioritize the bot’s transaction over others with lower fees.

5. Specialized Platforms (Optional):

Some MEV bots leverage platforms like Flashbots to enhance their capabilities. Flashbots allows for:

• Direct transaction submission to miners: Bypassing the public mempool reduces the risk of being frontrunned by other bots.
• Access to advanced tools: Features like custom smart contracts and algorithmic trading empower the bots with greater flexibility and efficiency in extracting MEV.

Technical Aspects:

• Transaction Malleability (partially addressed): Older Ethereum versions were susceptible to transaction malleability, allowing MEV bots to alter transaction IDs while preserving validity. This facilitated more complex MEV strategies, but newer protocol versions have addressed this vulnerability to a significant extent.
• Flashbots and Bundles: Flashbots, a prominent platform, facilitates MEV extraction by allowing miners to subscribe to “bundles” containing transactions submitted by MEV searchers. These bundles remain hidden from the public mempool, further reducing the risk of frontrunning.

Key Market Takeaways for MEV

According to Galaxy Research, over $773 million was earned in Maximal Extractable Value on the Ethereum blockchain between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021.

Source: Galaxy Research

Previously, MEV extraction was dominated by Flashbots, the sole operator of a relay that mining pools connected to for capturing MEV. However, the introduction of MEV-Boost software and open-source builder and relay code paved the way for a more decentralized ecosystem.

This innovation has led to the rise of competitors like Blocknative’s Dreamboat relay, challenging Flashbots’ dominance. While Flashbots’ MEV-Relay still holds the majority share, producing 81% of MEV-Boost blocks, this shift marks a positive step towards a more distributed MEV infrastructure on Ethereum.

Types of MEV Bot Strategies

MEV bots are like ninjas of the blockchain, wielding a variety of strategies to extract maximum value from transactions. Let’s dissect some of their most common tactics:

1. Arbitrage:

This bread-and-butter strategy capitalizes on price discrepancies across different DEXs or platforms. MEV bots constantly scan various cryptocurrency exchanges and DeFi platforms to search for price discrepancies between the same assets.

Sophisticated algorithms analyze real-time market data to identify profitable arbitrage opportunities. These algorithms consider factors like exchange rates, gas fees, and potential transaction slippage (the difference between the expected and actual price obtained during a trade).

Once an arbitrage opportunity is identified, the MEV bot executes a series of trades. It typically buys the asset at a lower price on one platform and sells it at a higher price on another platform.

Let’s assume Token A trades at $10 on Exchange X and $10.50 on Exchange Y. An arbitrage bot would buy A on X and immediately sell it on Y for a quick $0.50 profit per token.

2. Flash Loan Maneuvers:

In this strategy, MEV bots leverage flash loans, a unique DeFi feature that allows them to borrow large amounts of cryptocurrency without upfront collateral.

Flash loans operate within a single transaction. The bot borrows the funds, executes its strategy, and returns the borrowed amount along with any accrued interest, all within the same block. This eliminates the risk of default for the lender.

MEV bots can utilize flash loans for complex arbitrage opportunities or manipulate markets. For instance, a bot might borrow a large amount of Token Y to drive its price up artificially. With the price inflated, the bot can execute profitable trades before repaying the flash loan.

3. Frontrunning the Pack:

In frontrunning, MEV bots strategically insert their transactions before pending high-value user transactions in the mempool. By monitoring the mempool, MEV bots identify large user transactions and anticipate their potential price impact. The bot then inserts its own transaction ahead of the user’s, aiming to exploit the price movement caused by the larger order.

The MEV bot’s transaction preemptively buys the asset before the user’s order execution, benefiting from the price increase triggered by the larger purchase. The bot can then sell its holdings at a profit to the actual buyer who placed the high-value order.

For instance, let’s assume an exchange sees a large buy order for Token B. An MEV bot detects this and quickly buys a smaller amount of B before the user’s order executes. As the user’s order pushes the price up, the bot sells its B for a profit at the expense of the user who bought at the higher price.

4. The Sandwich Attack:

This strategy involves placing transactions both before and after a large target transaction (like a user buying a significant amount of a token). MEV bots often utilize smart contracts programmed to react automatically to specific on-chain events (like a large buy order). These smart contracts can execute the sandwich attack with greater precision and speed compared to manual bot operations.

The bot’s initial transaction creates artificial buy pressure by buying the target asset before the large user order. This drives the price up. The bot then places a second transaction to sell its holdings at the inflated price point before the user’s order is completed. Finally, the user’s large buy order fills at a higher price, manipulated by the bot’s actions.

5. Liquidation Lightning: 

MEV bots can play a role in DeFi liquidations. They constantly monitor loan positions on lending platforms and identify those at risk of default due to insufficient collateral. The bot can then strategically trigger the liquidation itself, profiting from a portion of the collateral seized during the process.

For instance, let’s assume a borrower on a DeFi platform has a loan backed by Token C. If the value of C drops significantly; the loan might become undercollateralized. An MEV bot could detect this and initiate the liquidation, acquiring C at a discount during the forced sale.

Must-Have Features of MEV Bots

Now, let us discuss some of the must-have features of MEV bots,

1. Mempool Mastery: Real-time Transaction Forensics

MEV bots excel at mempool surveillance. They leverage high-performance message queues (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka) or real-time streaming protocols (e.g., WebSockets) to continuously monitor the mempool. 

This involves parsing mempool data in near real-time to identify specific transaction types (e.g., swaps, liquidations), fee structures, and potential dependencies between transactions. Advanced bots might even employ custom filters written in languages like Python (with libraries like web3.py) to zoom in on specific arbitrage opportunities or liquidation events based on complex criteria.

2. Smart Contract Surgery: Decoding DeFi Logic

Understanding the intricate logic encoded within smart contracts is an essential skill for MEV bots. This often involves static analysis of bytecode using tools like Solidity Slither to identify exploitable functions or vulnerabilities within the contract. 

Additionally, bots may leverage symbolic execution techniques (e.g., Oystershell) to trace transaction execution paths and pinpoint lucrative opportunities dynamically. Integration with on-chain oracles like Chainlink can further enhance analysis by providing real-time data feeds for arbitrage strategies that rely on external market data.

3. Sniping with Precision: Low-Latency Transaction Execution

Speed is of the essence in the fast-paced world of MEV. Bots achieve lightning-fast transaction execution through several techniques. One approach involves leveraging Geth’s (Ethereum client) raw transaction API for direct interaction with the node, bypassing RPC overhead. Additionally, bots may employ off-chain communication channels (e.g., private mempools built with messaging protocols like ZeroMQ) to coordinate transaction submissions with miners or validator pools, minimizing latency.

4. Gas Fee Optimization: A Dynamic Bidding Strategy

MEV bots are like gas auction experts. They employ advanced algorithms written in languages like Go or Rust to estimate optimal gas prices based on network congestion levels (fetched from on-chain metrics), historical data (analyzed using libraries like Apache Spark), and the urgency of the transaction. 

This may involve monitoring on-chain gas price feeds or leveraging Decentralized Information Platforms like The Graph for real-time gas price predictions. Additionally, bots can exploit priority fees (introduced by EIP-1559) to strategically position their transactions within a block.

5. Distributed Architecture: Scalability and Resilience for MEV Hunters

For maximum efficiency and redundancy, MEV bots often utilize a distributed architecture. This can involve deploying instances of the bot across geographically distributed nodes or server clusters managed by tools like Kubernetes. Communication between nodes can be facilitated through message brokers like Apache Kafka or peer-to-peer networking protocols like libp2p, ensuring uninterrupted operation even in case of node failures.

6. The Rise of the Machines: Machine Learning in MEV

The future of MEV bots is intelligent. By incorporating machine learning algorithms written in frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch, these bots can become masters of prediction. Techniques such as reinforcement learning can be utilized to train bots on historical transaction data and blockchain events. This allows them to identify emerging arbitrage opportunities, predict market movements with greater accuracy (using libraries like Prophet for time series forecasting), and formulate even more profitable strategies.

7. The Privacy Tightrope: Balancing Transparency and Innovation

As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, MEV bot developers are exploring privacy-preserving techniques. This could involve obfuscating transaction data through ring signatures or using zk-SNARKs (zero-knowledge proofs) to prove the validity of a transaction without showing its details. However, the effectiveness and long-term viability of such techniques depend on the evolving regulatory landscape and advancements in blockchain technology like zk-rollup scaling solutions.

8. Beyond Flashbots: Decentralized Solutions for a Fairer MEV Ecosystem

The dominance of Flashbots in the MEV space has sparked concerns about centralization. Alternative solutions are being actively explored to address this. One approach involves on-chain auctions facilitated by protocols like MEV Boost, where miners or validators compete for the right to include MEV transactions in their blocks. Another promising avenue is permissionless validator pools, where anyone can contribute computing power to extract MEV and share in the rewards through platforms like Lido Finance. These decentralized solutions hold the promise of a fairer and more transparent MEV ecosystem.

Benefits of MEV Bot Development

Here are some crucial benefits of developing a MEV Bot,

1. Faster Execution

MEV bots are built for speed. They constantly scan the mempool, a temporary queue holding pending transactions, using high-frequency trading techniques. By analyzing the mempool state, they strategically insert their transactions at optimal positions to capitalize on fleeting opportunities.

This involves advanced algorithms that can exploit techniques like sandwich attacks (placing trades before and after a target transaction to capture price movements) or miner extractable value auctions where bots bid for inclusion in the next block.

For example, an arbitrage bot can be programmed to identify price discrepancies between centralized and decentralized exchanges. It can exploit this opportunity by quickly buying the asset on the cheaper exchange and selling it on the dearer one within the same block – all thanks to its ability to identify the optimal placement within the mempool for its transactions.

2. Beyond Liquidity Provision

MEV bots can act as liquidity guardians. They can strategically add and remove liquidity from DEX pools to maintain healthy market depth. For instance, a bot might inject liquidity into a low-liquidity pool when it detects a large incoming trade. This prevents price swings and benefits traders by ensuring smoother transactions.

MEV bots achieve this by monitoring on-chain activity and pool reserve levels. They can leverage flash loans (borrowing a large amount of capital instantly and repaying it within the same block) to inject temporary liquidity, mitigating potential market inefficiencies.

For instance, Uniswap, a popular DEX, relies on user-provided liquidity. MEV bots can help maintain healthy liquidity levels in Uniswap’s pools, attracting more traders and improving overall market efficiency.

3. Unlocking Revenue Streams: Exploring Profitable Strategies

While arbitrage remains a core strategy, MEV bots can also exploit other opportunities:

• Liquidations: In DeFi lending protocols, borrowers face liquidation if their collateral value falls below a certain threshold. MEV bots can identify these opportunities and execute profitable liquidations before other users.
• Transaction Reordering (Flashbots): In Proof-of-Stake blockchains, validators have some flexibility in reordering transactions within a block. MEV bots can exploit this by strategically reordering transactions to capture profits, like frontrunning a high-fee transaction.)

Identifying liquidation opportunities involves monitoring on-chain loan positions and collateralization ratios. Frontrunning, on the other hand, leverages the ability to submit high-gas fee transactions that validators prioritize, potentially excluding lower-fee transactions.

4. Plug and Play

Several blockchain infrastructure providers offer pre-built MEV bot templates or frameworks. These tools allow users to customize bot behavior without extensive coding knowledge.

This plug-and-play approach makes MEV bot development more accessible, fostering innovation and competition within DeFi. However, it’s crucial to understand the underlying technical aspects to make informed decisions about bot configurations and potential risks.

5. Opportunities in DApps and DEXs

MEV bots can interact with smart contracts deployed on DApps and DEXs. They can analyze contract logic and identify profitable opportunities based on specific functions or events within the DApp.

This involves interfacing with the DApp’s smart contract using blockchain development tools and APIs. The bot can then monitor contract events and execute transactions based on predefined conditions.

For example, a play-to-earn game might have a smart contract that distributes rewards based on in-game actions. An MEV bot could analyze player behavior and predict who’s likely to earn a significant reward. It can then execute a transaction to buy the game’s token before the price spikes due to the reward distribution.

6. Exploring Multiple Blockchains

MEV bot development frameworks are often designed to be blockchain-agnostic. This allows businesses to create bots that can operate on different blockchains, like Ethereum, Solana, or Avalanche.

Cross-chain compatibility allows users to capture value across various DeFi ecosystems. However, it’s important to consider the specific nuances of each blockchain and potential challenges like varying gas fee structures or security risks associated with bridging assets between chains.

How do you Develop an MEV Bot from Scratch?

Now let us discuss the stepwise process of developing a unique MEV bot, 

1. Choosing your MEV Strategy:

Arbitrage:

This strategy capitalizes on price discrepancies across Decentralized Exchanges. Your bot will need to continuously monitor prices on different DEXes (e.g., Uniswap, Sushiswap) and identify opportunities where buying on a cheaper DEX and selling on a more expensive one yields profit. This might involve integrating with price oracles like Chainlink to obtain real-time data feeds.

Front-running:

This strategy inserts your transaction before a high-impact one, exploiting its price influence. This requires monitoring the mempool (pool of pending transactions) and identifying transactions that will significantly alter prices (e.g., large token swaps). Your bot needs to strategically place its own transaction before the high-impact one to benefit from the price change. This involves understanding gas fee estimation and mempool dynamics.

Flash Loan Arbitrage:

This strategy leverages borrowed funds for complex arbitrage maneuvers within a single transaction. This strategy is highly intricate. Your bot will need to interact with flash loan providers (e.g., Aave, dYdX) to borrow assets, execute the arbitrage logic (potentially involving multiple DEX interactions), and repay the loan within the same transaction. This requires a deep grasp of smart contract interaction and meticulous management of gas costs.

2. Picking your Blockchain and Tools:

While Ethereum is the current hotbed for MEV, other blockchains like Solana and Avalanche are gaining traction. Choose your target blockchain based on its MEV landscape and your familiarity with its development tools.

Familiarize yourself with the core blockchain development tools for your chosen platform. For Ethereum, this includes tools like Web3.js for interacting with the blockchain and libraries like Ethers.js for building smart contracts.

3. Solidity Smart Contract Development:

Craft a Solidity smart contract that automates your chosen MEV strategy. This is the heart of your bot and requires expertise in smart contract development best practices. Here are some key functionalities to consider:

• Monitoring Functions: Write functions to continuously monitor the blockchain for relevant events (e.g., new transactions entering the mempool, price feed updates from oracles).
• Interaction Functions: Implement functions to interact with DEXes (swapping tokens), flash loan providers (borrowing and repaying assets), and potentially other smart contracts involved in your strategy.
• Transaction Submission: Include functions to submit your bot’s transactions to the mempool, considering gas fees and transaction priority.

4. Oracle Integration (Optional):

Strategies like arbitrage rely on up-to-date price information. Integrate a decentralized Oracle service like Chainlink to feed your bot with reliable on-chain price data. This ensures your bot makes decisions based on accurate market conditions.

5. Mempool Monitoring:

MEV bots thrive on exploiting fleeting opportunities in the mempool. Utilize a Mempool explorer (like Blocknative Mempool) or build your own solution to monitor the Mempool in real-time. This allows your bot to identify profitable insertion points for its own transactions.

6. Gas Fee Optimization:

Gas fees are paramount for MEV bots. You need your transactions to be included in a block quickly, but excessive gas fees can eat into profits. Implement gas fee estimation strategies and adjust gas prices dynamically based on network congestion and your strategy’s urgency requirements.

7. Flash Loan Integration (Optional):

Flash loan arbitrage is a complex strategy requiring interaction with flash loan providers. Integrate with a flash loan service (e.g., Aave Flash Loans) to enable your bot to borrow assets for its arbitrage maneuvers. This involves understanding how to interact with flash loan smart contracts and ensuring loan repayment within a single transaction.

8. Bot Deployment and Testing:

Before deploying your bot on a mainnet (like Ethereum Mainnet), deploy it on a testnet (like Rinkeby Testnet for Ethereum). This allows rigorous testing of your bot’s functionality and profitability in a simulated environment without risking real funds.

Cost of Developing a MEV Bot

Total Estimated Cost:

• Basic MEV Bot: $20,000 – $30,000 (e.g., arbitrage bot with moderate complexity)
• Complex Flash Loan Arbitrage Bot: $100,000+ (highly variable depending on factors mentioned above)

Important Note: These are estimates. Always factor in a buffer for unexpected costs during development.

Our Recent Projects at Idea Usher

Here are some of our recent interesting projects,

1. EQL

Our client envisioned a stock trading app that helps users to make informed decisions in the fast-paced world of finance. They desired an innovative platform that goes beyond traditional charts and analysis, incorporating the power of social media sentiment and real-time trends.

At Idea Usher, we transformed this vision into reality.

By leveraging our expertise in app development and social data analysis, we crafted EQL Trading & Investing. This user-friendly app equips traders with the tools to capitalize on market movements informed by social media buzz and comprehensive investment insights.

2. Esaiyo

Esaiyo’s vision was to streamline the complex world of NFTs by offering a secure and unified platform. They sought a solution that transcended limitations imposed by individual blockchains, allowing seamless NFT transfer and management across different ecosystems. Additionally, they aimed to establish a standardized approach for capturing and showcasing the unique history and social connections associated with each NFT.

We leveraged our expertise in blockchain development and object graph technology to create Esaiyo’s user-friendly platform. This innovative solution empowers users to manage their NFTs effortlessly, eliminating the need for multiple wallets and fostering trust through verifiable ownership and provenance. Esaiyo represents a leap forward in NFT management, offering a secure and unified experience for a thriving digital asset landscape.

3. SALVACoin

SALVACoin aspired to create a user-centric and accessible gateway into the world of blockchain investing. Their vision was a platform built on the Polygon network, known for its low transaction fees and scalability. This platform would offer seamless buying and storing of SALVACoin tokens, along with an integrated rewards system and future plans for an NFT marketplace.

Idea Usher played a pivotal role in realizing SALVACoin’s vision. Our team spearheaded the development of their platform on Polygon, ensuring robust security and a user-friendly interface. We conducted thorough research on ICO (Initial Coin Offering) best practices to optimize SALVACoin’s launch strategy. Now, users can not only buy and manage SALVACoin tokens but also access exclusive rewards and eagerly anticipate the upcoming NFT marketplace, all within a secure and cost-effective environment.

Conclusion

MEV bot development has emerged as a transformative force in DeFi, offering a range of benefits for traders, liquidity providers, and developers. From enabling high-speed arbitrage opportunities to strategically managing liquidity in DEX pools, MEV bots empower users to navigate the complexities of DeFi and potentially capture maximized returns. However, it’s crucial to remember that MEV bots are a powerful tool, and with great power comes great responsibility. As the DeFi ecosystem continues to evolve, responsible development and ethical considerations around MEV bot usage will be paramount in ensuring a fair and thriving decentralized financial future.

Hire ex-FANG developers, with combined 50000+ coding hours experience

Contact Us Today

Hire Ex - developers, with combined 50000+ coding hours experience

Contact Us Today

100% Developer Skill Guarantee; Or Your Money Back.

FREE CONSULTATION

Looking to Develop a MEV Bot for Your Business?

Ready to harness the potential of MEV bots for your business? Idea Usher can be your guide. With over 1000 hours of experience crafting custom MEV bot solutions, our team of experts can help you design, develop, and deploy a bot tailored to your specific needs. Whether you’re looking to capitalize on arbitrage opportunities, optimize liquidity provision, or explore advanced DeFi strategies, Idea Usher can equip you with the tools to have a competitive edge in the ever-evolving world of decentralized finance.

FAQs

Q1: What are the different types of MEV bots?

A1: MEV bots come in various flavors, each targeting distinct opportunities. Arbitrage bots exploit price discrepancies across exchanges, scooping up quick profits by buying low and selling high within the same block. Liquidation bots identify undercollateralized loans in DeFi lending protocols and swiftly execute liquidations to capture a portion of the collateral. Frontrunning bots strategically insert their transactions ahead of others in the mempool, allowing them to profit from anticipated price movements triggered by the following transactions.

Q2: What are the strategies of MEV bots?

A2: MEV bots employ a range of cunning tactics. Arbitrage involves identifying price differences between exchanges and capitalizing on them through rapid trades. Flash loans enable bots to borrow large sums instantly, manipulate markets, and repay the loan within the same block, all without risking their own capital. Sandwich attacks position a bot’s trades before and after a large buy order, squeezing the price and profiting from the resulting volatility.

Q3: What is an MEV slippage bot?

A3: An MEV slippage bot addresses a specific challenge in arbitrage strategies. When a large price difference exists between exchanges, an arbitrage bot aims to exploit it. However, market movements can occur during the bot’s transaction, causing a “slippage” – the difference between the expected and actual price obtained. An MEV slippage bot incorporates mechanisms to account for this slippage, ensuring profitable trades even with slight price fluctuations.

Q4: What is a maximal extractable value bot?

A4: The term “maximal extractable value bot” is essentially redundant. MEV stands for Miner Extractable Value, and bots designed to exploit these opportunities are simply called MEV bots. These bots identify and capitalize on various profit-making opportunities within a block, including arbitrage, liquidations, frontrunning, and flash loan strategies. Their goal is to extract the maximum possible value from a block’s limited transaction space.