diff --git a/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/Makefile b/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/Makefile
index 5638ce0c9524..63d6b404d88e 100644
--- a/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/Makefile
+++ b/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/Makefile
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ ccflags-y += -fno-stack-protector -DDISABLE_BRANCH_PROFILING
 
 KVM=../../../../virt/kvm
 
+CFLAGS_ARMV7VE		   :=$(call cc-option, -march=armv7ve)
+
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += $(KVM)/arm/hyp/vgic-v2-sr.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += $(KVM)/arm/hyp/vgic-v3-sr.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += $(KVM)/arm/hyp/timer-sr.o
@@ -15,7 +17,10 @@ obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += tlb.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += cp15-sr.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += vfp.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += banked-sr.o
+CFLAGS_banked-sr.o	   += $(CFLAGS_ARMV7VE)
+
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += entry.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += hyp-entry.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += switch.o
+CFLAGS_switch.o		   += $(CFLAGS_ARMV7VE)
 obj-$(CONFIG_KVM_ARM_HOST) += s2-setup.o
diff --git a/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/banked-sr.c b/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/banked-sr.c
index 111bda8cdebd..be4b8b0a40ad 100644
--- a/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/banked-sr.c
+++ b/arch/arm/kvm/hyp/banked-sr.c
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@
 
 #include <asm/kvm_hyp.h>
 
+/*
+ * gcc before 4.9 doesn't understand -march=armv7ve, so we have to
+ * trick the assembler.
+ */
 __asm__(".arch_extension     virt");
 
 void __hyp_text __banked_save_state(struct kvm_cpu_context *ctxt)