Financial Risk Governance in Saudi Banking and Fintech Subsidiaries: An Integrated Audit and Compliance Framework for Sustainable Financing

Purpose: This review investigates how Saudi banks can govern financial risks arising within affiliated fintech entities while maintaining credit discipline, regulatory compliance and credible sustainable financing. It distinguishes ownership oversight from operational assurance and asks where controls should remain common across a group and where subsidiary-specific arrangements are necessary. Design/methodology: A structured integrative review synthesises scholarship published between 2020 and 2025 on bank stability, fintech regulation, internal audit, technology risk and sustainability. Contributions from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf are interpreted alongside transferable international findings; no interviews, survey responses or new bank-level observations are claimed. Findings: Evidence indicates that fintech benefits depend on regulatory capacity, risk culture and control design. The proposed framework links group risk appetite, subsidiary accountability, independent audit testing, transaction-level compliance evidence and financing-outcome review. Originality/value: It converts fragmented debates into an implementable assurance architecture with explicit escalation rights, measurable indicators and safeguards against overstating sustainability results. Its propositions remain subject to institutional testing.