Hey there, crypto enthusiasts! If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Solana blockchain, you’ve probably heard the buzz around its latest game-changer: the Block Assembly Marketplace (BAM) upgrade. A recent tweet from mert | helius.dev on July 21, 2025, sums it up perfectly, calling it a “one-shot” solution to some of the biggest critiques Solana has faced. Let’s dive into what this means and why it’s such a big deal!
What Are the Big Criticisms Solana Faced?
Before we get into the fix, let’s break down the three major pain points mert highlighted:
Extractive Sandwich Attacks: Imagine you’re trading on a decentralized exchange (DEX) like PumpSwap, and a sneaky bot jumps in to manipulate the price before and after your trade, leaving you with a worse deal. That’s a sandwich attack, and it’s been a thorn in Solana’s side, thanks to something called Miner Extractable Value (MEV). These attacks let bots profit at the expense of regular users.
Lack of Control Over Sequencing: Apps and institutions want to decide the order of transactions for a smoother user experience or to avoid MEV. Without this control, building complex trading systems (like Central Limit Order Books or CLOBs) on Solana has been tricky.
Challenges with On-Chain CLOBs: CLOBs are like the backbone of advanced trading platforms, matching buy and sell orders efficiently. But poor sequencing on Solana made it hard to implement them effectively—until now.
Enter BAM: The Game-Changing Upgrade
So, how does BAM fix all this? According to mert’s tweet and the details from Jito’s announcement, this upgrade is a triple threat:
Private Encrypted Mempool: This fancy term means transactions are hidden from prying eyes until they’re processed. No more sandwich attacks—bots can’t see your trade to mess with it!
App-Specific Sequencing: Now, apps can control how transactions are ordered. This is a boon for developers building on-chain CLOBs or improving user experience.
Verifiable Ordering: Institutions can trust the process because the order of transactions is transparent and verifiable, making Solana a safer bet for big players.
Mert’s excitement is palpable—he even called it the “biggest change in Solana history.” And he’s not alone. The upgrade, driven by the Jito team, turns these weaknesses into strengths, proving Solana’s ability to learn and adapt fast.
Why This Matters for Meme Tokens and Beyond
At Meme Insider, we’re all about keeping you in the loop on how tech upgrades impact meme tokens and the broader crypto space. While BAM isn’t directly about meme coins like DOGE or SHIB, it creates a more robust ecosystem. A safer, more efficient Solana could attract more developers and traders, potentially boosting meme token projects built on the chain. Plus, with better transaction handling, those wild meme coin pumps and dumps might get a bit fairer!
The Bigger Picture
This upgrade isn’t just a quick patch. It’s a sign of Solana’s maturity. As mert pointed out in an earlier tweet here, the community takes criticism, learns from it, and ships improvements. BAM is the latest proof of that philosophy in action. With Jito’s involvement and partnerships with validators like Triton One and Figment, this could set a new standard for blockchain scalability and fairness.
What’s Next?
The crypto world is buzzing, and for good reason. If you’re a blockchain practitioner or just a curious meme coin fan, keep an eye on how BAM rolls out. Want to dive deeper? Check out Jito’s full thread or join the conversation on X. This could be the moment Solana solidifies its place as a top-tier blockchain!
Let us know your thoughts in the comments—bullish on Solana’s future or still skeptical? We’re all ears!