diff --git a/genesis/process/shardGenesisBlockCreator.go b/genesis/process/shardGenesisBlockCreator.go
index 3c7e47070c7..b984e3aa86f 100644
--- a/genesis/process/shardGenesisBlockCreator.go
+++ b/genesis/process/shardGenesisBlockCreator.go
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ func createGenesisConfig(providedEnableEpochs config.EnableEpochs) config.Enable
 			NodesToShufflePerShard: 0,
 		},
 	}
+	clonedConfig.StakeEnableEpoch = unreachableEpoch // we need to specifically disable this, we have exceptions in the staking system SC
 	clonedConfig.DoubleKeyProtectionEnableEpoch = 0
 
 	return clonedConfig
diff --git a/node/chainSimulator/chainSimulator_test.go b/node/chainSimulator/chainSimulator_test.go
index 23bbb007f8b..8b32a8655e3 100644
--- a/node/chainSimulator/chainSimulator_test.go
+++ b/node/chainSimulator/chainSimulator_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-core-go/core"
 	coreAPI "github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-core-go/data/api"
 	"github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-core-go/data/transaction"
+	"github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-go/config"
 	"github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-go/node/chainSimulator/components/api"
 	"github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-go/node/chainSimulator/configs"
 	"github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-go/node/chainSimulator/dtos"
@@ -72,6 +73,12 @@ func TestChainSimulator_GenerateBlocksShouldWork(t *testing.T) {
 		InitialRound:      200000000,
 		InitialEpoch:      100,
 		InitialNonce:      100,
+		AlterConfigsFunction: func(cfg *config.Configs) {
+			// we need to enable this as this test skips a lot of epoch activations events, and it will fail otherwise
+			// because the owner of a BLS key coming from genesis is not set
+			// (the owner is not set at genesis anymore because we do not enable the staking v2 in that phase)
+			cfg.EpochConfig.EnableEpochs.StakingV2EnableEpoch = 0
+		},
 	})
 	require.Nil(t, err)
 	require.NotNil(t, chainSimulator)