diff --git a/test/config.ini.cmake.in b/test/config.ini.cmake.in
--- a/test/config.ini.cmake.in
+++ b/test/config.ini.cmake.in
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 BUILDDIR=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}
 EXEEXT=${CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX}
 RPCAUTH=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/share/rpcauth/rpcauth.py
+EMULATOR=${CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR}
 
 [components]
 # Which components are enabled. Note that bitcoind cannot be disabled by cmake
diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py b/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@
             "BITCOIND", default=config["environment"]["BUILDDIR"] + '/src/bitcoind' + config["environment"]["EXEEXT"])
         self.options.bitcoincli = os.getenv(
             "BITCOINCLI", default=config["environment"]["BUILDDIR"] + '/src/bitcoin-cli' + config["environment"]["EXEEXT"])
+        self.options.emulator = config["environment"]["EMULATOR"] or None
 
         os.environ['PATH'] = config['environment']['BUILDDIR'] + os.pathsep + \
             config['environment']['BUILDDIR'] + os.path.sep + "qt" + os.pathsep + \
@@ -310,6 +311,7 @@
                 extra_conf=extra_confs[i],
                 extra_args=extra_args[i],
                 use_cli=self.options.usecli,
+                emulator=self.options.emulator,
             ))
             if self.options.phononactivation:
                 self.nodes[i].extend_default_args(
@@ -466,7 +468,8 @@
                     bitcoind=self.options.bitcoind,
                     bitcoin_cli=self.options.bitcoincli,
                     mocktime=self.mocktime,
-                    coverage_dir=None
+                    coverage_dir=None,
+                    emulator=self.options.emulator,
                 ))
                 self.nodes[i].clear_default_args()
                 self.nodes[i].extend_default_args(["-datadir=" + datadir])
diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
     be dispatched to the RPC connection."""
 
     def __init__(self, i, datadir, *, host, rpc_port, p2p_port, timewait, bitcoind,
-                 bitcoin_cli, mocktime, coverage_dir, extra_conf=None, extra_args=None, use_cli=False):
+                 bitcoin_cli, mocktime, coverage_dir, extra_conf=None, extra_args=None, use_cli=False, emulator=None):
         self.index = i
         self.datadir = datadir
         self.stdout_dir = os.path.join(self.datadir, "stdout")
@@ -93,10 +93,16 @@
             "-noprinttoconsole",
         ]
 
+        if emulator is not None:
+            if not os.path.isfile(emulator):
+                raise FileNotFoundError(
+                    "Emulator '{}' could not be found.".format(emulator))
+        self.emulator = emulator
+
         if use_cli and not os.path.isfile(bitcoin_cli):
             raise FileNotFoundError(
                 "Binary '{}' could not be found.\nTry setting it manually:\n\tBITCOINCLI=<path/to/bitcoin-cli> {}".format(bitcoin_cli, sys.argv[0]))
-        self.cli = TestNodeCLI(bitcoin_cli, self.datadir)
+        self.cli = TestNodeCLI(bitcoin_cli, self.datadir, self.emulator)
         self.use_cli = use_cli
 
         self.running = False
@@ -207,8 +213,16 @@
         # written to stderr and not the terminal
         subp_env = dict(os.environ, LIBC_FATAL_STDERR_="1")
 
+        p_args = [self.binary] + self.default_args + extra_args
+        if self.emulator is not None:
+            p_args = [self.emulator] + p_args
         self.process = subprocess.Popen(
-            [self.binary] + self.default_args + extra_args, env=subp_env, stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr, *args, **kwargs)
+            p_args,
+            env=subp_env,
+            stdout=stdout,
+            stderr=stderr,
+            *args,
+            **kwargs)
 
         self.running = True
         self.log.debug("bitcoind started, waiting for RPC to come up")
@@ -447,16 +461,17 @@
 class TestNodeCLI():
     """Interface to bitcoin-cli for an individual node"""
 
-    def __init__(self, binary, datadir):
+    def __init__(self, binary, datadir, emulator=None):
         self.options = []
         self.binary = binary
         self.datadir = datadir
         self.input = None
         self.log = logging.getLogger('TestFramework.bitcoincli')
+        self.emulator = emulator
 
     def __call__(self, *options, input=None):
         # TestNodeCLI is callable with bitcoin-cli command-line options
-        cli = TestNodeCLI(self.binary, self.datadir)
+        cli = TestNodeCLI(self.binary, self.datadir, self.emulator)
         cli.options = [str(o) for o in options]
         cli.input = input
         return cli
@@ -486,6 +501,8 @@
         if command is not None:
             p_args += [command]
         p_args += pos_args + named_args
+        if self.emulator is not None:
+            p_args = [self.emulator] + p_args
         self.log.debug("Running bitcoin-cli command: {}".format(command))
         process = subprocess.Popen(p_args, stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
                                    stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE, universal_newlines=True)