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1. Introduction
A considerable amount of revenue has been invested in the information technology (IT) infrastructure of banks to enhance their performance, but investment in IT remains a substantial risk regarding the return on investment (Carlson, 2015). Most banks and financial organizations around the globe are subject to extreme pressure from their customers and competitors to enhance IT. In the twenty-first century, the main sources of revenue generation for German banks are interest margins and the provision of services such as wealth management, mortgage lending and financial advice. However, the benefit from these services has declined, causing many challenges for these banks as they strive to return to a period of profit. Today, most of these banks are embracing financial technology (FinTech), due to the promise of its ability to generate new revenue streams, personalize offers, target cross-selling and improve customer services. However, to explore such opportunities, mobile applications and other technology platforms need to be launched.
Germany has implemented various regulations and programmes to encourage FinTech adoption; for example, during the Bundesbank 19th banking symposium, it was argued that banks in Germany need to adopt disruptive digital innovation to acquire technical awareness in advances (Patel et al., 2000; Stolterman and Fors, 2004). Furthermore, today’s digital banking has broadened from standard online banking to inventive ideas that involve video consultancy services, credit brokerage and the incorporation of social media. The need for awareness of global cyber-attacks and their mitigation was also stressed. Furthermore, cooperation between the Bundesbank, the BaFin, the European Banking Authority and the European Central Bank was suggested to establish an IT audit service, with the intention of developing a supervisory regime to enhance security (Deutsche Bundesbank Eurosystem, 2015; Carlson, 2015). In the face of ongoing cyber-attacks, financial institutions must continue to strengthen their cyber security framework by investing assets in gathering, examining and sharing cyber-attack intelligence information to better comprehend the change in complex security risks (Carlson, 2015).
Cyber-attacks on FinTech services could bring about huge economic, social and organizational damage, which could also affect the trust of customers of these services (Kranz et al., 2013; Möller et al., 2012). The tremendous increase in mobile technology in Germany has increased mobile device convergence, internet and integration since 2013. In...