Decoding cyber fraud governance in banking: a lifecycle misalignment perspective on prevention, detection and mitigation

Purpose The rapid digital transformation of banking and financial services has made cyber fraud a significant governance challenge. Against this backdrop, earlier studies have examined cyber fraud governance from technological, behavioural, organisational and regulatory aspects, but existing information remains uneven. This study aims to systematically synthesize the literature, assess the impact of this fragmentation on cyber fraud governance and introduce the lifecycle misalignment perspective (LMP) as a framework for cyber fraud management. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the SPAR-4-SLR protocol to systematically analyse 39 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2008 and 2024, selected from an initial pool of 899 records. For analytical depth, the study further uses the Theory–Context–Characteristics–Methodology (TCCM) framework as an analytical lens to examine lifecycle-based knowledge development and explore recurring fragmentation across the domain literature. Findings The review demonstrates that cyber fraud research encompasses diverse theoretical, contextual, empirical and methodological perspectives, yet lacks integration across these domains. The cross-dimensional synthesis reveals six recurring forms of fragmentation across the TCCM dimensions, which inform the development of the LMP. Six propositions are derived concerning detection–prevention alignment, technology–behaviour alignment, organisational–systemic alignment, prevention–learning alignment, methodological integration and contextual alignment in lifecycle-oriented cyber fraud governance. Practical implications The proposed framework will help to guide financial institutions, regulators and policymakers in developing more integrated and resilient governance strategies across the cyber fraud management lifecycle. Originality/value This study offers three major contributions. Firstly, it shifts cyber fraud research from stage-specific analysis to an integrated governance perspective. Secondly, it applies the TCCM framework as an analytical lens and develops the LMP from the resulting cross-dimensional synthesis. Lastly, it introduces six research propositions and a structured agenda to support future empirical research on lifecycle-oriented cyber fraud governance.