Beyond the Direct Effect: Cybersecurity Readiness as a Boundary Condition of the FinTech–Operational Efficiency Relationship in Algerian Commercial Banking

The integration of FinTech is associated with higher operational efficiency in most banks across emerging markets, yet the magnitude of that association varies substantially among institutions. Current research assesses the mean effect and reports contradictory findings, while few studies examine the organisational factors that shape when the benefit emerges. This study investigates cybersecurity readiness as a boundary condition of that relationship. We gathered survey data from 55 employees of Crédit Populaire d'Algérie in Mila province, Algeria, and estimated a moderated model through partial least squares structural equation modelling. FinTech adoption is positively associated with operational efficiency (β = 0.938, p < 0.001), cybersecurity readiness relates to it directly (β = 0.243, p = 0.005), and the interaction between them is positive and significant (β = 0.330, p < 0.001), with the model accounting for 78.0 per cent of the variance in operational efficiency. Simple-slopes analysis indicates that the conditional association increases from 0.608 at low readiness to 1.268 at high readiness, so that a bank with robust security capability is linked to roughly double the efficiency improvement for a given degree of digital adoption. The findings are consistent with a complementarity perspective, in which FinTech investment and cybersecurity capability appear to yield returns jointly rather than independently. Because the design is cross-sectional and the sample is drawn from a single branch network, the results reflect associations within this organisation rather than causal or sector-wide effects. For bank executives, the pattern suggests a sequencing consideration: developing detection, response, and staff proficiency alongside digital platforms rather than afterwards.