Theories of financial crime

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand what, how, and why financial crime, to stimulate know‐what, know‐how, and know‐why, there is a need for theory development.Design/methodology/approachIn the context of financial crime, the paper searched theoretical explanations in three streams of research. One stream of research is labeled behavioral theories of financial crime where theories were developed explicitly to explain individualistic aspects of financial crime. Another stream of research is labeled organizational theories of financial crime where theories were developed to explain organizational phenomena of financial crime. A third stream of research is labeled managerial theories of financial crime, where general management theories were applied to the phenomenon of financial crime.FindingsA number of theoretical perspectives on financial crime are identified from the literature review.Research limitations/implicationsFuture case studies will empirically have to illustrate and validate theories of financial crime.Originality/valueThis paper presents an overview of theories useful for further conceptual as well as empirical research into financial crime.