diff --git a/src/chainparams.cpp b/src/chainparams.cpp
index 503e86680b..b8604e155c 100644
--- a/src/chainparams.cpp
+++ b/src/chainparams.cpp
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ public:
         consensus.defaultAssumeValid = uint256S("0x0000000000000000002e63058c023a9a1de233554f28c7b21380b6c9003f36a8"); //534292
 
         consensus.genesis_subsidy = 50*COIN;
+        consensus.connect_genesis_outputs = false;
 
         /**
          * The message start string is designed to be unlikely to occur in normal data.
@@ -221,6 +222,7 @@ public:
         consensus.defaultAssumeValid = uint256S("0x0000000000000037a8cd3e06cd5edbfe9dd1dbcc5dacab279376ef7cfc2b4c75"); //1354312
 
         consensus.genesis_subsidy = 50*COIN;
+        consensus.connect_genesis_outputs = false;
 
         pchMessageStart[0] = 0x0b;
         pchMessageStart[1] = 0x11;
@@ -312,6 +314,7 @@ public:
         consensus.defaultAssumeValid = uint256S("0x00");
 
         consensus.genesis_subsidy = 50*COIN;
+        consensus.connect_genesis_outputs = false;
 
         pchMessageStart[0] = 0xfa;
         pchMessageStart[1] = 0xbf;
@@ -433,6 +436,8 @@ class CCustomParams : public CRegTestParams {
         std::vector<unsigned char> man_bytes = ParseHex(gArgs.GetArg("-con_mandatorycoinbase", ""));
         consensus.mandatory_coinbase_destination = CScript(man_bytes.begin(), man_bytes.end()); // Blank script allows any coinbase destination
 
+        // Custom chains connect coinbase outputs to db by default
+        consensus.connect_genesis_outputs = gArgs.GetArg("-con_connect_coinbase", true);
 
         nPruneAfterHeight = (uint64_t)args.GetArg("-npruneafterheight", nPruneAfterHeight);
         fDefaultConsistencyChecks = args.GetBoolArg("-fdefaultconsistencychecks", fDefaultConsistencyChecks);
diff --git a/src/chainparamsbase.cpp b/src/chainparamsbase.cpp
index 4fb9b05da0..8db4690b41 100644
--- a/src/chainparamsbase.cpp
+++ b/src/chainparamsbase.cpp
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ void SetupChainParamsBaseOptions()
     gArgs.AddArg("-con_mandatorycoinbase", "All non-zero valued coinbase outputs must go to this scriptPubKey, if set.", false, OptionsCategory::CHAINPARAMS);
     gArgs.AddArg("-seednode=<ip>", "Use specified node as seed node. This option can be specified multiple times to connect to multiple nodes. (custom only)", true, OptionsCategory::CHAINPARAMS);
     gArgs.AddArg("-con_blocksubsidy", "Defines the amount of block subsidy to start with, at genesis block.", false, OptionsCategory::CHAINPARAMS);
+    gArgs.AddArg("-con_connect_coinbase", "Connect outputs in genesis block to utxo database.", false, OptionsCategory::CHAINPARAMS);
 }
 
 static std::unique_ptr<CBaseChainParams> globalChainBaseParams;
diff --git a/src/consensus/params.h b/src/consensus/params.h
index e0018ca65b..7a217e755d 100644
--- a/src/consensus/params.h
+++ b/src/consensus/params.h
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ struct Params {
     // Elements-specific chainparams
     CScript mandatory_coinbase_destination;
     CAmount genesis_subsidy;
+    bool connect_genesis_outputs;
 };
 } // namespace Consensus
 
diff --git a/src/validation.cpp b/src/validation.cpp
index 93adf5d503..f2b973c75e 100644
--- a/src/validation.cpp
+++ b/src/validation.cpp
@@ -1813,18 +1813,6 @@ bool CChainState::ConnectBlock(const CBlock& block, CValidationState& state, CBl
     assert(*pindex->phashBlock == block.GetHash());
     int64_t nTimeStart = GetTimeMicros();
 
-    // verify that the view's current state corresponds to the previous block
-    const uint256 hashPrevBlock = pindex->pprev == nullptr ? uint256() : pindex->pprev->GetBlockHash();
-    assert(hashPrevBlock == view.GetBestBlock());
-
-    // Special case for the genesis block, skipping connection of its transactions
-    // (its coinbase is unspendable)
-    if (block.GetHash() == chainparams.GetConsensus().hashGenesisBlock) {
-        if (!fJustCheck)
-            view.SetBestBlock(pindex->GetBlockHash());
-        return true;
-    }
-
     // Check it again in case a previous version let a bad block in
     // NOTE: We don't currently (re-)invoke ContextualCheckBlock() or
     // ContextualCheckBlockHeader() here. This means that if we add a new
@@ -1848,6 +1836,25 @@ bool CChainState::ConnectBlock(const CBlock& block, CValidationState& state, CBl
         return error("%s: Consensus::CheckBlock: %s", __func__, FormatStateMessage(state));
     }
 
+    // verify that the view's current state corresponds to the previous block
+    uint256 hashPrevBlock = pindex->pprev == nullptr ? uint256() : pindex->pprev->GetBlockHash();
+    assert(hashPrevBlock == view.GetBestBlock());
+
+    const Consensus::Params& consensusParams = chainparams.GetConsensus();
+    // Add genesis outputs but don't validate.
+    if (block.GetHash() == consensusParams.hashGenesisBlock) {
+        if (!fJustCheck) {
+            if (consensusParams.connect_genesis_outputs) {
+                for (const auto& tx : block.vtx) {
+                    // Directly add new coins to DB
+                    AddCoins(view, *tx, 0);
+                }
+            }
+            view.SetBestBlock(pindex->GetBlockHash());
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
     nBlocksTotal++;
 
     // Check that all non-zero coinbase outputs pay to the required destination
diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/util.py b/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
index 6240b0e716..e081aab825 100644
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
@@ -306,6 +306,7 @@ def initialize_datadir(dirname, n, chain):
         f.write("listenonion=0\n")
         f.write("printtoconsole=0\n")
         f.write("con_blocksubsidy=5000000000\n")
+        f.write("con_connect_coinbase=0\n")
         os.makedirs(os.path.join(datadir, 'stderr'), exist_ok=True)
         os.makedirs(os.path.join(datadir, 'stdout'), exist_ok=True)
     return datadir
diff --git a/test/functional/test_runner.py b/test/functional/test_runner.py
index 5fc7ae7cfe..d0f5731bfd 100755
--- a/test/functional/test_runner.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_runner.py
@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ EXTENDED_SCRIPTS = [
     'feature_notifications.py',
     'rpc_invalidateblock.py',
     'feature_rbf.py',
+    'feature_connect_coinbase.py'
 ]
 
 # Place EXTENDED_SCRIPTS first since it has the 3 longest running tests