diff --git a/app/export.go b/app/export.go
index ae91730c8..6399dbbed 100644
--- a/app/export.go
+++ b/app/export.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package app
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"log"
 
 	tmproto "github.com/cometbft/cometbft/proto/tendermint/types"
@@ -71,20 +72,21 @@ func (app *App) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, jailAllowedAddrs []str
 
 	// withdraw all validator commission
 	app.AppKeepers.StakingKeeper.IterateValidators(ctx, func(_ int64, val stakingtypes.ValidatorI) (stop bool) {
-		_, err := app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.WithdrawValidatorCommission(ctx, val.GetOperator())
-		if err != nil {
-			panic(err)
-		}
+		_, _ = app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.WithdrawValidatorCommission(ctx, val.GetOperator())
 		return false
 	})
 
 	// withdraw all delegator rewards
 	dels := app.AppKeepers.StakingKeeper.GetAllDelegations(ctx)
 	for _, delegation := range dels {
-		_, err := app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.WithdrawDelegationRewards(ctx, delegation.GetDelegatorAddr(), delegation.GetValidatorAddr())
+		valAddr, err := sdk.ValAddressFromBech32(delegation.ValidatorAddress)
 		if err != nil {
 			panic(err)
 		}
+
+		delAddr := sdk.MustAccAddressFromBech32(delegation.DelegatorAddress)
+
+		_, _ = app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.WithdrawDelegationRewards(ctx, delAddr, valAddr)
 	}
 
 	// clear validator slash events
@@ -105,20 +107,28 @@ func (app *App) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, jailAllowedAddrs []str
 		feePool.CommunityPool = feePool.CommunityPool.Add(scraps...)
 		app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.SetFeePool(ctx, feePool)
 
-		err := app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.Hooks().AfterValidatorCreated(ctx, val.GetOperator())
-
-		return err != nil
+		if err := app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.Hooks().AfterValidatorCreated(ctx, val.GetOperator()); err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		return false
 	})
 
 	// reinitialize all delegations
 	for _, del := range dels {
-		err := app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.Hooks().BeforeDelegationCreated(ctx, del.GetDelegatorAddr(), del.GetValidatorAddr())
+		valAddr, err := sdk.ValAddressFromBech32(del.ValidatorAddress)
 		if err != nil {
 			panic(err)
 		}
-		err = app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.Hooks().AfterDelegationModified(ctx, del.GetDelegatorAddr(), del.GetValidatorAddr())
-		if err != nil {
-			panic(err)
+		delAddr := sdk.MustAccAddressFromBech32(del.DelegatorAddress)
+
+		if err := app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.Hooks().BeforeDelegationCreated(ctx, delAddr, valAddr); err != nil {
+			// never called as BeforeDelegationCreated always returns nil
+			panic(fmt.Errorf("error while incrementing period: %w", err))
+		}
+
+		if err := app.AppKeepers.DistrKeeper.Hooks().AfterDelegationModified(ctx, delAddr, valAddr); err != nil {
+			// never called as AfterDelegationModified always returns nil
+			panic(fmt.Errorf("error while creating a new delegation period record: %w", err))
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -152,7 +162,7 @@ func (app *App) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, jailAllowedAddrs []str
 	counter := int16(0)
 
 	for ; iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
-		addr := sdk.ValAddress(iter.Key()[1:])
+		addr := sdk.ValAddress(stakingtypes.AddressFromValidatorsKey(iter.Key()))
 		validator, found := app.AppKeepers.StakingKeeper.GetValidator(ctx, addr)
 		if !found {
 			panic("expected validator, not found")
@@ -167,13 +177,14 @@ func (app *App) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, jailAllowedAddrs []str
 		counter++
 	}
 
-	err := iter.Close()
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
+	if err := iter.Close(); err != nil {
+		app.Logger().Error("error while closing the key-value store reverse prefix iterator: ", err)
+		return
 	}
 
-	if _, err := app.AppKeepers.StakingKeeper.ApplyAndReturnValidatorSetUpdates(ctx); err != nil {
-		panic(err)
+	_, err := app.AppKeepers.StakingKeeper.ApplyAndReturnValidatorSetUpdates(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
 	/* Handle slashing state. */