diff --git a/clients/validator/src/index.ts b/clients/validator/src/index.ts
index 5ed0cde383..ff227a5d01 100644
--- a/clients/validator/src/index.ts
+++ b/clients/validator/src/index.ts
@@ -64,15 +64,23 @@ export default class ValidatorClient implements INymClient {
 
   readonly vestingContract: string;
 
+  readonly mainnetDenom = "unym";
+
+  readonly mainnetPrefix = "n";
+
   private constructor(
     client: SigningClient | QueryClient,
     prefix: string,
     mixnetContract: string,
-    vestingContract: string,
+    vestingContract: string
   ) {
     this.client = client;
     this.prefix = prefix;
-    this.denom = `u${prefix}`;
+    if (prefix == this.mainnetPrefix) {
+      this.denom = this.mainnetDenom;
+    } else {
+      this.denom = `u${prefix}`;
+    }
 
     this.mixnetContract = mixnetContract;
     this.vestingContract = vestingContract;
diff --git a/clients/validator/src/stargate-helper.ts b/clients/validator/src/stargate-helper.ts
index 168d8d9a3c..768ff8a8e4 100644
--- a/clients/validator/src/stargate-helper.ts
+++ b/clients/validator/src/stargate-helper.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,19 @@
 import axios from 'axios';
 import { GasPrice } from '@cosmjs/stargate';
 
+const mainnetPrefix = 'n';
+const mainnetDenom = 'nym';
+
 export function nymGasPrice(prefix: string): GasPrice {
-  return GasPrice.fromString(`0.025u${prefix}`); // TODO: ideally this ugly conversion shouldn't be hardcoded here.
+  if (typeof prefix === 'string') {
+    if (prefix === mainnetPrefix) {
+      prefix = mainnetDenom;
+    }
+    return GasPrice.fromString(`0.025u${prefix}`); // TODO: ideally this ugly conversion shouldn't be hardcoded here.
+  }
+  else {
+    throw new Error(`${prefix} is not of type string`);
+  }
 }
 
 export const downloadWasm = async (url: string): Promise<Uint8Array> => {