diff --git a/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake b/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake
--- a/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/AddCompilerFlags.cmake
@@ -28,9 +28,19 @@
 endmacro()
 
 macro(remove_compiler_flags)
+	if(NOT "${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "")
+		string(TOUPPER ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE} BUILD_TYPE)
+		set(BUILD_TYPE_CXX_FLAGS "CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_${BUILD_TYPE}")
+		set(BUILD_TYPE_C_FLAGS "CMAKE_C_FLAGS_${BUILD_TYPE}")
+	endif()
+	
 	foreach(f ${ARGN})
-		string(REGEX REPLACE "${f}( |^)" "" CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS ${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS})
-		string(REGEX REPLACE "${f}( |^)" "" CMAKE_C_FLAGS ${CMAKE_C_FLAGS})
+		string(REGEX REPLACE "${f}( |$)" "" CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
+		string(REGEX REPLACE "${f}( |$)" "" CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS}")
+		if(NOT "${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "")
+			string(REGEX REPLACE "${f}( |$)" "" ${BUILD_TYPE_CXX_FLAGS} "${${BUILD_TYPE_CXX_FLAGS}}")
+			string(REGEX REPLACE "${f}( |$)" "" ${BUILD_TYPE_C_FLAGS} "${${BUILD_TYPE_C_FLAGS}}")
+		endif()
 	endforeach()
 endmacro()
 
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -16,14 +16,19 @@
 option(BUILD_BITCOIN_TX "Build bitcoin-tx" ON)
 option(BUILD_BITCOIN_QT "Build bitcoin-qt" ON)
 
+# Cmake uses the CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE variable to select the build configuration.
+# By default it supports more configurations that needed for Bitcoin ABC, and
+# all the releases types set NDEBUG which is unwanted as it disables the assert
+# completely.
+# Remove the -DNDEBUG flag from the CFLAGS/CXXFLAGS in all the configurations
+include(AddCompilerFlags)
+remove_compiler_flags(-DNDEBUG)
+
 # Ensure that WINDRES_PREPROC is enabled when using windres.
 if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Windows")
 	list(APPEND CMAKE_RC_FLAGS "-DWINDRES_PREPROC")
 endif()
 
-# Enable warning
-include(AddCompilerFlags)
-
 # CMake provides the POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE property to set PIC/PIE.
 # Unfortunately setting the -pie linker flag this way required CMake >= 3.14,
 # which is not widely distributed at the time of writing.
@@ -33,6 +38,7 @@
 	add_linker_flag(-pie)
 endif()
 
+# Enable warning
 add_c_compiler_flag(-Wnested-externs -Wstrict-prototypes)
 add_compiler_flag(
 	-Wall