Jito has upgraded its Block Assembly Marketplace (BAM) on the Solana network, reportedly reducing bundle submission delays by approximately 50 milliseconds. Early results, announced October 13, 2026, indicate a 72% increase in average rewards for successful bundle submissions.
This upgrade coincided with Solana’s reduction of target slot times to 200 milliseconds at Epoch 1053 on October 9, 2026. In response, BAM adjusted its auction intervals from 25 milliseconds to 20 milliseconds.
Jito has also implemented performance fixes addressing kernel delays, which ranged from 90 to 330 milliseconds. These improvements have resulted in a 15.5% increase in BAM tips per block.
BAM, launched on Solana mainnet September 25, 2025, is a modular and verifiable block-building framework utilizing Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) for private and verifiable transaction ordering. By the end of Epoch 1050, BAM had 385 validators and approximately 164 million SOL in delegated stake, representing about 37% of Solana’s total stake. The FireBAM initiative added an estimated 7.3 million SOL from 12 validators.
During Solana’s upcoming Alpenglow consensus upgrade, expected mid-to-late October 2026, BAM nodes will enter maintenance mode. Validators will temporarily revert to the Jito-Agave Block Engine, and BAM-powered features will be paused.
For validators, the increased average rewards and the 15.5% lift in tips per block signify greater revenue potential through BAM-connected infrastructure. With a substantial portion of Solana’s stake running through BAM and FireBAM, the block-building framework holds considerable influence over transaction ordering on the network.
Uncertainties remain regarding the speed of BAM node recovery post-Alpenglow, the persistence of current reward improvements under new consensus rules, and future growth in validator and stake counts.
Why This Matters
The Jito BAM upgrade is significant because it directly impacts validator revenue through increased rewards and tips per block. With a substantial portion of Solana’s stake delegated to BAM, this upgrade influences transaction ordering on the network. The upgrade’s success and continued impact are subject to uncertainties surrounding the upcoming Alpenglow consensus upgrade and its effect on network stability and reward structures.
Broader Context
A bundle is a package of transactions submitted together for inclusion in a block, typically with a tip attached for the validator who includes it. BAM is the marketplace where these bundles compete for space. The framework’s reliance on Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) ensures private and verifiable transaction ordering, a key feature for network integrity.
