diff --git a/dot/services.go b/dot/services.go
index 1c6bbc78ea..76c2b8e707 100644
--- a/dot/services.go
+++ b/dot/services.go
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ func createRuntime(cfg *Config, st *state.Service, ks *keystore.GenericKeystore)
 		Keystore: ks,
 		Imports:  runtime.RegisterImports_NodeRuntime,
 		LogLvl:   lvl,
+		Role:     cfg.Core.Roles,
 	}
 
 	// create runtime executor
diff --git a/lib/runtime/imports_old.go b/lib/runtime/imports_old.go
index 6a7774ecd4..cf070c362a 100644
--- a/lib/runtime/imports_old.go
+++ b/lib/runtime/imports_old.go
@@ -716,7 +716,12 @@ func ext_secp256k1_ecdsa_recover(context unsafe.Pointer, msgData, sigData, pubke
 //export ext_is_validator
 func ext_is_validator(context unsafe.Pointer) int32 {
 	logger.Trace("[ext_is_validator] executing...")
-	logger.Warn("[ext_is_validator] Not yet implemented.")
+	instanceContext := wasm.IntoInstanceContext(context)
+
+	runtimeCtx := instanceContext.Data().(*Ctx)
+	if runtimeCtx.validator {
+		return 1
+	}
 	return 0
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/runtime/imports_old_test.go b/lib/runtime/imports_old_test.go
index 5824c92b9e..a993d22399 100644
--- a/lib/runtime/imports_old_test.go
+++ b/lib/runtime/imports_old_test.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ChainSafe/gossamer/lib/crypto/sr25519"
 	"github.com/ChainSafe/gossamer/lib/scale"
 	"github.com/ChainSafe/gossamer/lib/trie"
-
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
@@ -1132,3 +1131,28 @@ func TestExt_set_child_storage(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Fail: got %x expected %x", res, value)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestExt_is_validator(t *testing.T) {
+	// test with validator
+	runtime := NewTestRuntimeWithRole(t, TEST_RUNTIME, byte(4))
+	// call wasm function
+	testFunc, ok := runtime.vm.Exports["test_ext_is_validator"]
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("could not find exported function")
+	}
+	res, err := testFunc()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, int32(1), res.ToI32())
+
+	// test with non-validator
+	runtime = NewTestRuntimeWithRole(t, TEST_RUNTIME, byte(1))
+	// call wasm function
+	testFunc, ok = runtime.vm.Exports["test_ext_is_validator"]
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("could not find exported function")
+	}
+	res, err = testFunc()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, int32(0), res.ToI32())
+
+}
diff --git a/lib/runtime/runtime.go b/lib/runtime/runtime.go
index ece6971499..f7f89c70f4 100644
--- a/lib/runtime/runtime.go
+++ b/lib/runtime/runtime.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ type Ctx struct {
 	storage   Storage
 	allocator *FreeingBumpHeapAllocator
 	keystore  *keystore.GenericKeystore
+	validator bool
 }
 
 // Config represents a runtime configuration
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	Keystore *keystore.GenericKeystore
 	Imports  func() (*wasm.Imports, error)
 	LogLvl   log.Lvl
+	Role     byte
 }
 
 // Runtime struct
@@ -92,10 +94,16 @@ func NewRuntime(code []byte, cfg *Config) (*Runtime, error) {
 
 	memAllocator := NewAllocator(instance.Memory, 0)
 
+	validator := false
+	if cfg.Role == byte(4) {
+		validator = true
+	}
+
 	runtimeCtx := &Ctx{
 		storage:   cfg.Storage,
 		allocator: memAllocator,
 		keystore:  cfg.Keystore,
+		validator: validator,
 	}
 
 	logger.Debug("NewRuntime", "runtimeCtx", runtimeCtx)
diff --git a/lib/runtime/test_helpers.go b/lib/runtime/test_helpers.go
index 8c4a4223fa..595c5f2a3c 100644
--- a/lib/runtime/test_helpers.go
+++ b/lib/runtime/test_helpers.go
@@ -68,6 +68,32 @@ func NewTestRuntimeWithTrie(t *testing.T, targetRuntime string, tt *trie.Trie, l
 	return r
 }
 
+// NewTestRuntimeWithRole returns a test runtime with given role value
+func NewTestRuntimeWithRole(t *testing.T, targetRuntime string, role byte) *Runtime {
+	testRuntimeFilePath, testRuntimeURL, importsFunc := GetRuntimeVars(targetRuntime)
+
+	_, err := GetRuntimeBlob(testRuntimeFilePath, testRuntimeURL)
+	require.Nil(t, err, "Fail: could not get runtime", "targetRuntime", targetRuntime)
+
+	s := newTestRuntimeStorage(nil)
+
+	fp, err := filepath.Abs(testRuntimeFilePath)
+	require.Nil(t, err, "could not create testRuntimeFilePath", "targetRuntime", targetRuntime)
+
+	cfg := &Config{
+		Storage:  s,
+		Keystore: keystore.NewGenericKeystore("test"),
+		Imports:  importsFunc,
+		LogLvl:   log.LvlInfo,
+		Role:     role,
+	}
+
+	r, err := NewRuntimeFromFile(fp, cfg)
+	require.Nil(t, err, "Got error when trying to create new VM", "targetRuntime", targetRuntime)
+	require.NotNil(t, r, "Could not create new VM instance", "targetRuntime", targetRuntime)
+	return r
+}
+
 // exportRuntime writes the runtime to a file as a hex string.
 // nolint  (without this the linter complains that exportRuntime is unused (used in helper.test.go 28)
 func exportRuntime(t *testing.T, targetRuntime string, outFp string) {