diff --git a/packages/plugins/accounts-manager/src/index.ts b/packages/plugins/accounts-manager/src/index.ts
index 7e4aa1e5a..9863bc27a 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/accounts-manager/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/accounts-manager/src/index.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ export default class AccountsManager {
       // reset accounts backing variable as the accounts in config may have changed and
       // web.eth.getAccounts may return a different value now
       this._accounts = null;
+      this._web3 = null;
 
       // as the accounts may have changed, we need to fund the accounts again
       await this.parseAndFundAccounts();
@@ -54,14 +55,13 @@ export default class AccountsManager {
   }
 
   private async parseAndFundAccounts() {
-    const web3 = await this.web3;
     const accounts = await this.accounts;
-
     if (!accounts.length || !this.embark.config.blockchainConfig.isDev) {
       return;
     }
     try {
-      const coinbase = await web3.eth.getCoinbase();
+      const web3 = await this.web3;
+      const coinbase = await this.getCoinbaseAddress();
       const acctsFromConfig = AccountParser.parseAccountsConfig(this.embark.config.blockchainConfig.accounts, web3, dappPath(), this.logger, accounts);
       const accountsWithBalance = accounts.map((address) => {
         const acctFromConfig = acctsFromConfig.find((acctCfg) => acctCfg.address === address);
@@ -82,4 +82,54 @@ export default class AccountsManager {
       this.logger.error(__("Error funding accounts"), err.message || err);
     }
   }
+
+  async findAccountWithMostFunds() {
+    const web3 = await this.web3;
+    const accounts = await web3.eth.getAccounts();
+    let highestBalance = {
+      balance: web3.utils.toBN(0),
+      account: ""
+    };
+    for (const account of accounts) {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
+      const balance = web3.utils.toBN(await web3.eth.getBalance(account));
+      if (balance.gt(highestBalance.balance)) {
+        highestBalance = { balance, account };
+      }
+    }
+    return highestBalance.account;
+  }
+
+  async findAlternativeCoinbase() {
+    try {
+      return this.findAccountWithMostFunds();
+    } catch (err) {
+      throw new Error(`Error getting coinbase address: ${err.message || err}`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  async getCoinbaseAddress() {
+    const web3 = await this.web3;
+    try {
+      const coinbaseAddress = await web3.eth.getCoinbase();
+      // if the blockchain returns a zeroed address, we can find the account
+      // with the most funds and use that as the "from" account to txfer
+      // funds.
+      if (!coinbaseAddress ||
+        web3.utils.hexToNumberString(coinbaseAddress) === "0" || // matches 0x0 and 0x00000000000000000000000000000000000000
+        (await web3.eth.getBalance(coinbaseAddress)) === "0"
+      ) {
+        return this.findAlternativeCoinbase();
+      }
+      return coinbaseAddress;
+    } catch (err) {
+      // if the blockchain doesn't support 'eth_coinbase' RPC commands,
+      // we can find the account with the most funds and use that as the
+      // "from" account to txfer funds.
+      if (err.message.includes("The method eth_coinbase does not exist/is not available")) {
+        return this.findAlternativeCoinbase();
+      }
+      throw new Error(`Error finding coinbase address: ${err.message || err}`);
+    }
+  }
 }