diff --git a/app/app.go b/app/app.go
index a9c25c1c..a11a823d 100644
--- a/app/app.go
+++ b/app/app.go
@@ -641,6 +641,11 @@ func NewEthermintApp(
 
 	app.sm.RegisterStoreDecoders()
 
+	// initialize stores
+	app.MountKVStores(keys)
+	app.MountTransientStores(tkeys)
+	app.MountMemoryStores(memKeys)
+
 	// initialize BaseApp
 	app.SetInitChainer(app.InitChainer)
 	app.SetBeginBlocker(app.BeginBlocker)
@@ -670,6 +675,12 @@ func NewEthermintApp(
 	app.ScopedIBCKeeper = scopedIBCKeeper
 	app.ScopedTransferKeeper = scopedTransferKeeper
 
+	if loadLatest {
+		if err := app.LoadLatestVersion(); err != nil {
+			tmos.Exit(err.Error())
+		}
+	}
+
 	return app
 }
 
diff --git a/app/app_test.go b/app/app_test.go
index cd3edb6b..fe0ce855 100644
--- a/app/app_test.go
+++ b/app/app_test.go
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ func TestEthermintAppExport(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Making a new app object with the db, so that initchain hasn't been called
 	app2 := NewEthermintApp(logger2, db, nil, true, map[int64]bool{}, DefaultNodeHome, 0, encCfg, EmptyAppOptions{})
-	require.NoError(t, app2.Init())
 	_, err := app2.ExportAppStateAndValidators(false, []string{})
 	require.NoError(t, err, "ExportAppStateAndValidators should not have an error")
 }
diff --git a/app/test_helpers.go b/app/test_helpers.go
index 821998a5..aefa16e3 100644
--- a/app/test_helpers.go
+++ b/app/test_helpers.go
@@ -5,31 +5,33 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
-	codectypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec/types"
-	cryptocodec "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/crypto/codec"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/server/types"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/simapp"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/testutil/mock"
-	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 
-	"github.com/cerc-io/laconicd/crypto/ethsecp256k1"
-	"github.com/cerc-io/laconicd/encoding"
-	ethermint "github.com/cerc-io/laconicd/types"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/simapp/params"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
-	tmjson "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/json"
-
-	authtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
-	banktypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/bank/types"
-	stakingtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/staking/types"
 	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/crypto/ed25519"
+	tmjson "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/json"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/log"
 	tmproto "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/proto/tendermint/types"
 	tmtypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 	dbm "github.com/tendermint/tm-db"
+
+	codectypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec/types"
+	cryptocodec "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/crypto/codec"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/server/types"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/simapp"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/simapp/params"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/testutil/mock"
+	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
+	authtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
+	banktypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/bank/types"
+	stakingtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/staking/types"
+
+	"github.com/cerc-io/laconicd/crypto/ethsecp256k1"
+	"github.com/cerc-io/laconicd/encoding"
+	ethermint "github.com/cerc-io/laconicd/types"
 )
 
 // GenesisState of the blockchain is represented here as a map of raw json